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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22530184">I'm Not Okay (I Promise)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kakayamaforever/pseuds/ASchwartz33'>ASchwartz33 (Kakayamaforever)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Asexual Tenzo, Eventual Smut, Happy Ending, Kid Hatake Kakashi, M/M, No Underage Sex, Parent Umino Iruka, Queerplatonic Relationships, Tenzou is clueless, Umino Iruka-centric, graphic smut, mild depression</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:21:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,798</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22530184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kakayamaforever/pseuds/ASchwartz33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kakashi gets himself turned into a baby on an Anbu mission, and Iruka is assigned to take care of him while he rapidly grows back into his own age.<br/>Tenzo is assigned to help him, but is clueless, so Iruka ends up adopting both of them instead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi &amp; Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Umino Iruka &amp; Yamato | Tenzou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>152</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>808</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Too many child Kakashi pictures on tumblr inspired me to write a child Kakashi fic. There is no underage messing around in this story, but will eventually be KakaIru. </p><p>Follow me on Tumblr for sneak peeks at other stories I am writing.<br/>@kakayamaforever</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Iruka woke to the sound of tapping on his window. As a teacher, it was unusual for him to be summoned to the Hokage's office… especially this early in the morning. It was still dark when Iruka opened the curtains, and he grumbled a bit… right up until he noticed the masked Anbu staring at him. This was wrong. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>different. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He had never been summoned by Anbu </span>
  <em>
    <span>in his life</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and the thought was unsettling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened the window with shaky hands, and the masked man spoke to him quickly. His voice was sharp, authoritative, and serious. "Iruka Umino, your presence is required at the Hokage residence immediately. I can transport you as soon as you are ready." The man informed him. Despite the man's composure, Iruka could sense his unease. Something wasn't right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded quickly. "Y-yes sir. Let me get some proper clothes on." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man nodded, jumping into Iruka's window without invitation, his short brown hair waving with the motion. Iruka startled a bit, but continued digging clothes out of his dresser. "Would you mind turning around?" Iruka asked nervously, but realized a high caliber ninja like an Anbu would never turn their back to someone. "Or maybe go out to the hall?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man nodded shallowly, moving quickly out the door, his feet silently gliding across the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka dressed as quickly as his arms would let him, worry setting in as he thought about the situation. He wasn't even being called to the tower. He was being called to Tsunade's </span>
  <em>
    <span>personal living quarters</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as he opened the bedroom door, the Anbu was moving in close and making hand signs for a body flicker. Iruka braced himself as quickly as he could, the jutsu doing it's best to make him puke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they were on stable ground, the Anbu was opening the front door to the mansion and ushering him inside. It seemed the other man was getting anxious, which didn't bode well for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade was standing in front of a large window, with her back to them. The Anbu kneeled professionally. "Lady Tsunade, Iruka Umino is here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, Cat. Please… there's no need for such formalities at this time." She said as she turned around, a small bundle in her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka gave a small bow. "Lady Tsunade, is there something I can help you with?" He asked, trying to keep his nervousness out of his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman didn't speak, she simply moved closer, holding the small bundle of blankets out carefully for him to take. The weight was surprising, and Iruka could already tell that this was a baby. Had someone died? Was the baby sick? Either way, what did it have to do with him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took the child, cradling it in his arms automatically. The Anbu beside him stiffened, and suddenly Iruka felt especially concerned for whose baby this was. The child couldn't have been more than a few weeks old, and his heart broke for the sleeping bundle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka." Tsunade spoke softly, drawing his attention from the child. "This is going to be a long term mission, and I'm sorry… but you are really the only suitable choice at the moment. I'm going to need you to leave the school for a while." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka frowned, the school year had just ended. He had two months before the next one began. How long was this "long term" mission going to take? He opened his mouth to speak, but the older woman interrupted him quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This information is not to leave the three of us. This is an unranked mission. It will not be in the records. If word of this were to get out… I don't know what would happen. You will relocate, and leave your new quarters at a maximum once a week. Cat will assist you as often as possible, and will be limited for shorter missions for the duration of this." Tsunade spoke quickly, only managing to confuse Iruka more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I don't understand. Whose baby is this? Am I supposed to take care of it? What is happening?" Iruka shook his head as he asked his questions, wondering if this was all a dream and he was still asleep in his bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Two days ago, an Anbu team was on a mission in Suna when they were attacked. I can't give you a lot of information. It's classified. The two man team was separated for an entire day. The Captain had a scroll with </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>important information, and had hidden it by the time they had regrouped. They were attacked, and the captain was hit with a jutsu we have never seen before." Tsunade said, pausing when she wasn't sure where to go from there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What does that have to do with this baby?" Iruka asked, his annoyance slipping through his hushed tone as he held the infant tightly to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That baby… is the captain of my Anbu squad." The masked man said from his right. "He was hit with the jutsu, and I found the child hidden inside his uniform."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka looked down to the child, his eyes wide. The baby was awake, twin gray eyes staring at him. Now that he was looking, the baby had a scar going straight through his left eyebrow, and descending almost all the way to the corner of his mouth (though the eye seemed fine). Iruka pushed the blanket out of the baby's face revealing a shock of bright silver hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Silver hair?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka gasped loudly, holding the quiet baby away from him slightly. "This… this is…" he sputtered, trying to find the words to express his </span>
  <em>
    <span>absolute shock </span>
  </em>
  <span>that this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi fucking Hatake</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he was holding in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi." Tsunade answered solemnly. "This jutsu… I can't reverse it. But… he is growing rapidly. I estimate he will be back to his original age in four years. We don't know what he will remember yet… but we believe he has some awareness with his calmness." </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Four years? </span>
  </em>
  <span>And what has happened to his eye? Am I supposed to take care of him?" Iruka asked, panicking just a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I </span>
  <em>
    <span>would </span>
  </em>
  <span>leave him with his </span>
  <em>
    <span>team…</span>
  </em>
  <span>" She started, narrowing her eyes at Cat a small amount. The man shied away from her, rubbing his brown hair nervously. "But they are apparently too emotionally damaged to be trusted with a baby. I am sorry about this, Iruka… but I trust you with this. I've already lost Hatake, and now Cat, for important missions. I can't afford to saddle another active Shinobi with this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka watched the tiny baby… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He just watched Iruka quietly. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>odd</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe they were right. Kakashi didn't seem like a typical baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"His eye… has been sealed." Tsunade answered his previous question. "While Cat made the two-day trip home, Kakashi still automatically kept the eye closed. It still is a slow drain on his chakra, however, and a baby doesn't have any sort of chakra reserve to speak of. I've sealed it for now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The baby scrunched up his tiny face, and sneezed. Iruka tried not to coo at him. After all… this was a highly trained </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anbu</span>
  </em>
  <span>, right? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"His nose is sensitive." The Anbu spoke suddenly, still seeming a bit comfortable with the fact that Iruka was holding his captain in his arms. "You will need to use mild-scented soaps and shampoos." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka wondered how well the two actually knew each other. Maybe this Anbu was someone he knew as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"T-thank you." He replied nervously, shuffling from foot to foot. "So I have to take care of Kakashi until he can manage on his own? Is that what I am getting out of this? And I have to move? Quit my job?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade didn't answer. She just nodded slowly. Iruka took a closer look at the child, and noticed he didn't have any clothing. He was wrapped up in an Anbu shirt, and a blanket, with some sort of makeshift diaper. "You didn't get him any </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> clothes? Is he cold?" Iruka mumbled angrily to himself as he reached in to feel the baby's toes. He was warm enough, but Iruka still held him tighter to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You will relocate to the Hatake compound. Kakashi hasn't lived there since his father died… I think his baby clothes are all still there. Cat will help you find them. I'm giving you limited clearance, Iruka. I'm going to allow Cat to be out of uniform for this mission. But I warn you, if I </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever </span>
  </em>
  <span>hear that you have revealed his identity to anyone… I'll send you through a wall." Tsunade spoke firmly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cat escorted them to the Hatake compound, then promptly disappeared after disabling whatever traps and wards were on the building. Iruka huffed, walking into the strange building. He would be permitted to go pack his own things after a while, but for now… he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>apparently </span>
  </em>
  <span>on his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The house was large and dusty, and it took Iruka longer than it should have to find the light switch. Kakashi had curled in towards him, and Iruka struggled not to treat him like any other baby. Maybe he </span>
  <em>
    <span>should. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They didn't even know for sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>what it was </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kakashi remembered. Maybe the eye thing had just been muscle memory, and he was just a quiet child. After a moment of deliberation, Iruka decided that he would rather risk having the copy ninja angry with him than treat a baby that way. He ran his fingers through Kakashi's soft hair, humming and rocking as he made his way through the old house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't long before the hairs on the back of his neck stood, alerting him to a presence. He spun around, spotting a man standing in the room behind him. He wore a typical jounin uniform, and his short brown hair made Iruka believe it might be the Anbu from earlier. "Cat?" He asked quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man pursed his lips, and nodded slowly. His large brown eyes drifted down towards Kakashi, and Iruka realized he was still playing with the boy's hair. He pulled his hand away, only for Kakashi to scrunch his face up grumpily. Iruka huffed a laugh, looking at the adorable features of the tiny child. Kakashi was the cutest baby… though he would never say that to the man's face. He replaced his hand in the boy's hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tenzo." The man spoke suddenly, smiling at Kakashi's happy reaction. "My name is Tenzo."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka's eyebrows shot upwards. He wasn't sure the man would actually be willing to speak with him. "Oh! Okay. Thank you for telling me." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man looked confused at Iruka's thanks, but the chunin teacher had other things on his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Could you get me a pen and paper? There are a lot of things I'm going to need. And very quickly." Iruka asked, and Tenzo moved immediately to look around. It wasn't long before he brought the requested items, and Iruka sat on the couch to use the coffee table to write. It was awkward. The paper kept sliding around, and his words were smudging awfully as he balanced the child in his left hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed loudly. "Um… would you mind holding him for a minute? It's really difficult to write like this." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo seemed startled and apprehensive about holding the baby, but nodded and accepted him anyway. Iruka wrote the list quickly, still talking to the Anbu as he went. "So… once we find him some clothes, would you mind running and picking up these items for me?" He asked, and Tenzo nodded silently, staring down at his finger that Kakashi had decided was his new favorite thing in the world. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finding the clothes was an easy task. In one of the spare bedrooms, Sakumo had piles of boxes stored away, all neatly labeled. The one labeled "Kakashi: baby clothes" was the obvious starting point, though Iruka made a note to look through some of the others later. Tenzo had left for the store shortly after, and Iruka was dressing Kakashi in a pair of pajamas. He thanked his lucky stars that Kakashi hadn't peed through the makeshift diaper he was wearing already, and wondered what the boy had eaten since he had been found. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had spent two days traveling with an Anbu, practically naked and defenseless as they undoubtedly ran through the trees. Tenzo seemed like a nice guy, but even the way he </span>
  <em>
    <span>held</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kakashi was concerning. The man clearly had no prior experience with children. He knew that some shinobi packed a dry milk mix in with their rations, and hoped that Tenzo had been one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tenzo looked at the shelves helplessly. Iruka's list seemed simple enough at the time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Diapers, bottles, baby formula, pacifiers, wipes, and a blanket. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But now that he was looking at what must have been 30 brands and sizes of diapers that all looked exactly the same, he was beyond lost. The Konoha baby outlet had opened 15 minutes ago, and Tenzo had spent every one of them staring at these shelves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, the worker took pity on him, and asked him what he was looking for. Her eyes widened when she saw the list, and he smiled sheepishly at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How old is this baby?" She asked curiously, almost suspicious in her tone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh… about 3 weeks, I think." He answered, a bright blush adorning his face. He knew what it looked like. "He is an orphan that has unexpectedly been placed in my care." Tenzo lied smoothly, hoping the woman wouldn't try to report him for abuse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her face brightened a little. "Oh! Well… let me help you." She replied, taking the list from him and throwing piles of objects into his cart. He sighed internally. Even as an infant, Kakashi was going to be a drain on his wallet. He made a mental note to keep the receipts so he could have the village foot the bill. This </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a mission, after all. Kakashi was growing </span>
  <em>
    <span>fast. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He had been so much smaller when Tenzo had found him. Tsunade was sure he had been the same size as when he was born, just based on Tenzo's growth estimates. In two and a half days, he had aged considerably. Hopefully, he wouldn't be needed for the full four years it would take for Kakashi to get back to his old self. Four years of buying supplies for someone else would send him into bankruptcy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka looked up from the floor as Tenzo finally made it back. The sheer amount of bags he was carrying was insane, and Iruka jumped up to help, leaving a sleeping Kakashi bundled in the blankets on the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo had gotten everything on the list… </span>
  <em>
    <span>and more</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The man looked clearly flustered, stress showing heavily on his face as he looked over the colorful items he had procured. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh… the lady that worked there had a few suggestions." He mumbled, still looking shocked at all the items he brought. Iruka dug through them quickly, taking out the immediate essentials and deciding to go through the rest later. The first thing he did was change Kakashi into a proper diaper. The baby woke quietly, his dark eyes just barely drifting open. Iruka wondered if he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>that sleepy, or if he was perhaps weak from not eating enough. He opened the fancy formula Tenzo had bought and prepared a bottle, testing its warmth and offering it to the baby. Kakashi's tiny mouth latched on easily, and Iruka was relieved to know he would be eating properly from here on out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Kakashi was fed, clean, and snuggled safely into the new baby carrier attached to Iruka's chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You seem to know what you're doing." Tenzo commented quietly, watching as Iruka sorted through the remaining bags. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>a teacher. But aside from that… I babysat a lot as a teenager. The Inuzukas were family friends, and a lot of times there was one or two of their babies spending the day with me." Iruka explained as he set a little stuffed puppy onto the growing pile of new toys. He laughed internally at the item, since he had noticed dogs were a strong theme in this house. A lot of the baby clothes also had dogs or wolves of some sort on them. In fact, the onesie pajamas Kakashi was currently wearing were blue with little paw prints all over them. He was fairly certain that he had seen Kakashi with dogs before, but hadn't realized it was a family thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does Kakashi summon dogs or wolves?" Iruka asked, making sure to speak quietly now that the baby's eyes had drifted shut, tiny blue pacifier tucked carefully in his mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo seemed like he didn't want to answer at first. Perhaps he didn't want to give away personal information about his captain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I only ask because a lot of the stuff around here has dogs on it. Seems like a recurring theme… even with the stuff </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>picked out." Iruka spoke softly, hoping to ease some of the other man's worries. After all, he wasn't looking to go digging through Kakashi's life. That wasn't what he was here for. Tsunade had seen him handle babies and children personally, and he knew that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>why he was here. He wasn't a friend of Kakashi's. Hell… he hadn't even spoken to him in </span>
  <em>
    <span>person</span>
  </em>
  <span> before. He wasn't interested in unearthing the man's secrets. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes." Tenzo answered finally. "He has 8 dog summons. It is my understanding that it was a family thing." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka hummed softly, one hand smoothing over Kakashi's hair, and the other sorting through the piles upon piles of baby clothes that Sakumo had saved. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo had hung around silently all morning, occasionally making small talk… but mostly just watching Kakashi sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you two close?" Iruka asked quietly, pushing a pile of tiny socks to the side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo seemed surprised by the question, and Iruka had the feeling he didn't talk to people regularly aside from on missions. "Uh… well… we've known each other for quite some time now. He's my friend." The man answered awkwardly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka yawned, wondering if he would be able to nap before Kakashi woke again. He had stayed up late reading… because he hadn't had anything to do today. Instead, here he was in a new house with a baby jounin to take care of on less than four hours of sleep. "You don't have to hang around all day if you don't want, Tenzo. I'm probably going to try to take a nap anyway."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo nodded and stood. "Alright. I'll be back after dark, and we can go get some things from your apartment." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka sighed internally, wishing he could just go out in the daylight. But really, they didn't have a way to conceal Kakashi's identity yet aside from casting a henge… and Iruka didn't feel comfortable doing that to a baby. Regardless of whether or not that baby was somehow also a 24 year old adult man. "Alright. See you later, then. Thanks for all of your help." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka looked through the other bedrooms, deciding that Kakashi probably wouldn't be too thrilled if he found out they had slept in his father's bed. Thankfully, he found what appeared to be Kakashi's old room. It was a bit small, but had a decent sized bed with shuriken themed bedding. Iruka looked around first, a bit saddened by the fact that Kakashi clearly hadn't been sleeping here since he was very young. There were toys and weapons and extra sandals thrown about… it was all very </span>
  <em>
    <span>childlike</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He knew Kakashi had graduated at five, and made chunin at 6. You didn't work at the academy without hearing </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> about the child prodigy that was Kakashi Hatake. He had expected Kakashi's room to be like most jounin apartments… plain and neatly organized. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After looking around for a bit, Iruka suddenly wished he had thought about where the baby was going to sleep. He didn't have a crib. He sighed, carefully pulling the boy out of the carrier. Kakashi woke a little, but Iruka hoped he would still fall back asleep. He stripped down to just his boxers, arranged the child on his bare chest, and covered them both carefully. Thankfully, Kakashi's eyes closed again, and Iruka would be able to take a nap after all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka woke to a squirming baby on his chest. Kakashi was awake, and he looked adorably grumpy. He had also grown a little bit, and his clothes were getting tight. What he had noticed, was that the baby would get a far off look in his eye randomly throughout the day, and give a small cry when he returned to awareness. It was peculiar. His theory was that maybe Kakashi </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>in fact remembering things, and the memories were… upsetting him? Okay. He still had no clue. But he would work on an answer as time went on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He changed Kakashi into a looser fitting set of clothes, just in case the little squirt decided to grow again, and set about cleaning the house a bit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka sighed as he shifted Kakashi around on his chest. Kakashi had only been a baby for 2 weeks, but he was hitting 3 month markers now. He turned his head to look at the crib Tenzo had built for them, sitting empty against the wall. The moment he had put Kakashi in there, he had screamed bloody murder. Apparently, he didn't want to be left alone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was awake, and Iruka couldn't help but smile as the baby smiled at him. He really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>the most adorable thing Iruka had ever seen… scars and all. It was almost concerning, the amount of scars that were showing up across Kakashi's skin. He had to keep reminding himself that this was in fact a fully grown human being. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he got up to prepare their breakfast, Iruka spoke to him. He often tried to speak to Kakashi like an adult. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If </span>
  </em>
  <span>he could remember things… wouldn't he have found a way to tell them by now? Iruka was starting to believe that he didn't. At least not everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi sucked down the first bottle Iruka fed him. With his elevated growth rate, Tenzo was dropping off </span>
  <em>
    <span>massive </span>
  </em>
  <span>amounts of formula. The Anbu had been very helpful, stopping in at least once every couple of days to check on them. He still had missions of course, but only ones that would take a single day, or two at the max. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was eating his own breakfast, Kakashi resting over his shoulder when Tenzo returned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man had finally stopped being so awkward around Iruka, but still had issues when it came to babies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave Kakashi an uncomfortable pat on the head as he walked by, placing the groceries he had retrieved in the fridge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anything else run out while I was gone?" The man asked politely. Tenzo was a nice guy, but he was hard to get a read on. Iruka had learned exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing </span>
  </em>
  <span>about him other than he likes walnuts. The man was obviously very used to a secretive life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. It looks like you got everything." Iruka answered, standing and holding Kakashi on the edge of the counter. The baby was currently holding a keyring toy in his mouth, slobber running all over his chin. Iruka smiled at him, touching those tiny fingers. He knew he was growing attached to Kakashi… but how could he </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>? He was with him 24/7, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>holy hell </span>
  </em>
  <span>if he wasn't the easiest and cutest baby he had ever seen. Kakashi only cried after the weird spacing-out thing, and that only happened maybe once a day. Even then, he only cried for a few seconds. The only thing Iruka couldn't do was leave him alone. That was where the main perk of Kakashi actually being an adult came in. He didn't need to teach this baby how to manage on his own. He didn't need to let him "cry it out". Soon enough, he would be much older. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat down to watch the tv that Tenzo had thankfully brought over. Without that, he didn't know how he wouldn't go crazy staying here. He laid Kakashi down on the floor in front of him, pinching those cute little legs and making the boy giggle. Tenzo almost looked mortified, and Iruka swiftly reminded him that just because he was his Anbu captain, didn't mean he wasn't still a baby. Iruka couldn't just </span>
  <em>
    <span>ignore</span>
  </em>
  <span> him, or whatever the hell Tenzo would have him do. He couldn't… and he wouldn't let anyone else do it either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later in the day, Tenzo escorted Iruka to the hospital. They needed to check and make sure there wasn't anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>else </span>
  </em>
  <span>wrong with Kakashi. Tenzo forced him to take the back roads, though Iruka was just happy to be outside. Kakashi was wearing tiny blue overalls, a green shirt, and little socks with puppies running across them. Since the sun was out, Iruka also had the cutest hat on him. It was brown, and had dog ears on it. Sakumo had </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly</span>
  </em>
  <span> been a fan of the dog theme. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inside, Tsunade was waiting for them. Some people he knew had noticed him carrying around a baby, but thankfully didn't stop to chat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka held Kakashi in his lap as Tsunade looked him over. The pliant baby couldn't care less that she was messing with his arms and checking inside of his mouth. She seemed amused by his ticklish little feet, but informed Iruka nothing was wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to give him crap about this for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>long </span>
  </em>
  <span>time." Tsunade said with a laugh. "So… have you learned anything?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I… I think he is remembering things. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Slowly.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He gets this weird far-off look for a minute or so, and then he cries for a few seconds. It's weird. I've never seen a baby do that before. As far as his awareness of what's going on… I have my doubts. He can look around and stuff now. If he knew what I was saying to him… I feel like he would at least nod or something at me." Iruka answered, putting the small red pacifier in Kakashi's mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade pursed her lips, humming at the information. "What I've managed to dig up from the archives is very vague. It mentions something like this… and suggests that he would only be remembering 'age-appropriate memories'. Perhaps he's gaining memories from his </span>
  <em>
    <span>actual </span>
  </em>
  <span>time as a baby. What I've read leads me to believe that it may be like reliving those things all over again. If that is the case, I'm afraid he's got a lot of bad memories to come. Over these next four years, he's going to relive </span>
  <em>
    <span>every </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad thing that's ever happened to him. I'm sorry, Iruka. But if that's the case, I won't leave him alone with it. I'm going to need you to stay with him the entire time. 24 years of trauma crammed into four? That's likely to make someone suicidal."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka nodded, looking down at the sweet baby with concern in his eyes. Tenzo didn't look too thrilled at the concept either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka peppered the baby's face with kisses, much to Tsunade's amusement, and Kakashi giggled. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"That </span>
  </em>
  <span>is exactly why I chose you, Iruka. Anyone else would have treated this too seriously. Thank you for taking care of him. I think he's going to need your compassion in the months to come." Tsunade spoke softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka smiled at the child. It didn't matter who this really was. He knew right then that there was nothing they could do to separate him from Kakashi. If the man was going to need him, he would be there. He couldn't leave him to suffer through so much loss and violence like that by themselves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the end of the first month, Kakashi was 6 months old. Iruka was sitting with him on the floor, playing peekaboo with him when Tenzo walked in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo was finally starting to look at him like he was a baby, instead of his fully grown captain, and smiled at the giggling baby. Kakashi was a talker, surprisingly, babbling away while he shoved toys in his mouth all day. Iruka spoke to him non-stop, wondering if it was helping at all. How was this going to work when Kakashi got older? How was Iruka going to explain to him the differences between his memories and what was actually happening? Would he understand? Would he accept Iruka's company, even? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka tried not to think about that as he watched Kakashi fall back into the pile of blankets. Tenzo set an overwhelming amount of tiny jars on the counter, looking a bit flustered. "I wasn't sure what flavors he still likes." He mumbled. Iruka laughed, picking Kakashi up and heading to the high chair. "He's still eating pretty much everything." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka fed Kakashi a jar of the liquified food, watching as the baby happily ate everything he had to offer. If he ever had a kid, he would learn to hate his time with Kakashi. No baby should be this easy. No baby could be this calm. The chances were that his own children would be nightmares compared to this one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two weeks later, Kakashi was crawling around the house, with Iruka chasing after him happily. The baby was technically 9 months old, and Iruka was having a blast with him. "Kakashi!" He called out happily, crawling under the kitchen table after the insanely fast infant. Kakashi pulled himself to a standing position, using the chair to lift himself onto his tiny feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good job!" Iruka cooed, lifting the baby excitedly. "But now it's bath time." He said with a smile. Thankfully, Kakashi loved playing in the water. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo walked in the bathroom, announcing his presence by taking loud steps. Iruka turned to look at him, noting that he looked particularly exhausted. "Rough mission?" He asked carefully, knowing Tenzo couldn't give him any info. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo nodded, dropping himself unceremoniously onto the floor by the tub. He leaned his back against the wall, arm resting on the ceramic edge of the bath, and his legs pulled up. He looked… </span>
  <em>
    <span>worse </span>
  </em>
  <span>than exhausted. Maybe it had just been something terrible that the man had to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka watched as Tenzo sighed, leaning his head onto his hand with his eyes shut. "Everything going okay here? Need me to pick up anything?" The man asked as Kakashi splashed around in the tub. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Everything's fine." Iruka replied softly, eyebrows furrowing as he spotted blood on the man's pants. The man obviously hadn't done a mission in his jounin pants, which meant that he was injured. "Tenzo… hold still." Iruka spoke, moving forward as the man stiffened. He watched Iruka, his eyes tired but alert at the same time. Iruka didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but his worry outweighed that thought. He reached his hand out slowly, lifting the bottom of Tenzo's pant leg, just enough to see the slice through his skin. The Anbu pulled his leg away quickly, hissing at the sting of the wound. Iruka huffed loudly, glaring at the man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How bad is it?" He asked angrily, scooping Kakashi up out of the water and into a warm towel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo shied away from the tone. "It's not that bad." He mumbled under his breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka pushed Kakashi into the other man's arms, the baby smiling up at him. Tenzo couldn't resist smiling at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hold him for a minute. I'm getting the med-kit." Iruka replied, not giving him a chance to argue as he left the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stubborn man.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Iruka thought to himself. When he returned, Tenzo was meticulously drying Kakashi's silver hair with the towel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine." Tenzo mumbled, looking away from his tiny captain to meet Iruka's gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. It's not. Stop being so stubborn and let me patch you up. You've already ruined a perfectly good pair of pants." Iruka ranted. Tenzo looked down to the new blood spot on his pants with a frown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka sighed, feeling a little bad for scolding the man. "If we get them in the wash, it's probably not too late to save them." He mumbled as he sat on the floor again. He patted his crossed legs, giving Tenzo a stern look. The man reluctantly obeyed the silent command, slowly straightening his leg to lay it across Iruka's lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he had the lower leg of the man's pants pulled up again, he could really see the damage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a deep cut. Iruka couldn't really tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>deep, but could tell that something had been forcefully ripped out of it. Tenzo had been stabbed. Bits of dried powder clung to the still slowly bleeding wound, and Iruka assumed that the Anbu had hastily slapped a clotting agent over it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kunai? Or sword?" Iruka asked quietly, wondering just how deep the injury went. By this point, Tenzo was his friend. He didn't enjoy seeing the man hurt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sword." Tenzo whispered as Kakashi played with his nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka swallowed nervously, holding shaky hands over the leg. Green chakra flowed from his fingers, and he closed his eyes. As a teacher, he had received extensive first aid training… including the skills for an accidental stabbing during kunai training. He sent his chakra into the wound, focusing on the stitching of Tenzo's muscles and skin, mending the injury as best he could. Tenzo remained valiantly still, even though Iruka knew from experience that this process was painful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the injury was healed, Iruka was exhausted. He wasn't exactly using his chakra while keeping track of a baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Iruka." Tenzo spoke softly, after Iruka finished cleaning off the blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're welcome. Please don't be so stubborn next time. I have the training to patch you up. I promise I won't force you to go to the hospital unless it's life threatening." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo seemed to take the message to heart, nodding. He smiled as Kakashi's tiny fingers reached up to mess with his ear, flinching away from the exploring digits. "Hey!" He called out with a laugh. "I'm not a toy!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka rescued him from the infant's adorable attack, taking Kakashi into the living room to get him into his sleepwear. Tenzo followed him, still laughing as Kakashi smiled at him over Iruka's shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You should stay here for the night. You look exhausted." Iruka called out softly from the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have a perfectly good bed at home." Tenzo mumbled quietly as he dropped his tired head onto the kitchen table. Iruka shook his head at the stubborn Anbu. He was practically asleep already, yet he was still refusing to stay. Iruka sighed, standing up with Kakashi in his arms and moving towards the man. He grabbed Tenzo's wrist, knowing the man could probably break his bones if he wanted. Iruka liked to think that Tenzo had grown more comfortable around him. They were friends. He truly believed that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're my </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Tenzo. I can't allow you to walk home like this… and clearly you shouldn't be using jutsu. There's another spare bedroom. You can sleep in there." Iruka spoke strongly as he pulled the reluctant man to his feet. He was shocked when the brunette allowed himself to be led down the hall and into the spare bedroom. Tenzo gave Kakashi a small peck on the forehead before dropping bodily on the mattress. Iruka left with a smile on his face, happy to help a friend who was clearly too stubborn to do it himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the end of the two month mark, Kakashi was a year old. Iruka could see why he had been labeled a prodigy. Most kids were barely starting to walk on their own, but Kakashi was </span>
  <em>
    <span>running</span>
  </em>
  <span> through the house. He was also really close to saying Iruka's name, which filled him with a wonderful sort of pride. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ruka!" Kakashi yelled as he ran through the house. Iruka mentally scolded himself for saying what a calm child Kakashi had been… because now he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>such a little shit. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Iruka had just gotten his diaper off, turned away for a moment to grab a fresh one, and Kakashi was </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was his new favorite game to play. Iruka chased the naked child through the house, laughing internally at the sweet little padding noises of feet running across the wood flooring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The front door opened, and Tenzo was greeted with excited shouts of "Ten!" As Kakashi ran up to him, still stark naked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo went to pick him up, but squawked and pulled his hand away instead. "Ow! </span>
  <em>
    <span>No biting</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kakashi." Tenzo scolded, attempting again to pick up the child. He looked at his hand again. "That actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt </span>
  </em>
  <span>a little bit." Tenzo mumbled as he handed the boy off to Iruka. "Maybe he's getting new teeth again." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka furrowed his brows and looked at Kakashi. He opened his mouth wide, and the toddler copied him. Iruka's eyes widened. Kakashi's front teeth had come in a couple weeks ago, but apparently, his canines had continued growing. They were now a bit longer and larger than the rest of them. "Does Kakashi… have </span>
  <em>
    <span>fangs?</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Iruka asked, a bit in shock at the sight of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo looked too. "I… I don't know. I've seen his bare face a few times, but I didn't pay attention to his teeth. But those certainly look like them. Maybe Tsunade will know when we see her today." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>know, and happily informed them that </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kakashi did in fact have fangs. They arrived back in the house, and Iruka set the child down. He started to run away, but paused, getting that same far-away look Iruka had been watching the last two months. Tenzo hadn't had a chance to see it that often, and was watching closely. They still needed to know how much Kakashi was remembering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy giggled randomly, spinning around to look for something. "Papa?" He called out, before taking off to the other side of the house. "Papa?" He continued to yell, and every time, Iruka felt his heart breaking. He was gaining his memories with his father. His </span>
  <em>
    <span>true </span>
  </em>
  <span>childhood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi came back slowly, a grumpy look on his face when he couldn't find Sakumo. Iruka picked him up with tears in his eyes, looking at the small disappointed child. "Are you hungry, Kakashi?" Iruka asked, trying to take his mind off of his new memories. Tenzo hadn't spoken since Kakashi had paused, and when Iruka turned around, he just looked depressed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi shouted excitedly at the prospect of food, and Iruka walked him into the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happens when we can't just distract him anymore?" Tenzo asked quietly, running his fingers through silver hair. Kakashi was already chewing on the fruit Iruka had given him, using his new teeth to rip the food apart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know." Iruka said with a frown. Would Kakashi be able to separate his present memories from the ones in the past? How would they even </span>
  <em>
    <span>begin </span>
  </em>
  <span>to explain this whole ordeal to a </span>
  <em>
    <span>child</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka shook those thoughts out of his head, moving to cut Kakashi more fruit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The end of the third month, Kakashi was a year and a half. Iruka about shit himself when Kakashi paused and just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>started talking. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Iruka knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>three year olds </span>
  </em>
  <span>who couldn't make sentences as well as this toddler, and it was mind-boggling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had happened after breakfast. Iruka was chasing Kakashi around when the boy paused. It was longer than average, but sometimes Kakashi didn't pause for a couple days, and had a longer moment as a result. It had been at least 3 days this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi turned slowly, tilting his head and looking up at Iruka. "Is papa on a mission?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka's eyes widened. Apparently, Sakumo had managed to teach Kakashi to speak very young. Kakashi was </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>the genius that everyone said he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka didn't know what to say. Could he lie to Kakashi? Even when he was a toddler? Iruka swallowed nervously, and nodded his head. He felt terrible, but Kakashi seemed to relax. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go outside, Ruka!" Kakashi shouted as he ran to the back door. Iruka hadn't spent much time outside with the boy, but followed him happily. It was a much better idea than sitting inside all day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo had been gone for two days when he finally returned. He had taken to staying at the compound in the other bedroom, and Iruka was happy to not be left alone so much. Truth be told, he was quite lonely. He avoided going into town even the one time a week he was allowed to… telling himself that he would go out more when Kakashi was old enough to henge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Anbu entered the house quietly, but it didn't matter. Kakashi heard him immediately. Iruka had noticed the child's extra sensitive hearing early on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi sprinted into the front room, and for a moment Iruka was afraid he thought it was Sakumo returning. Thankfully, Kakashi was still super excited to see Tenzo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo picked him up automatically, but almost dropped him when he started to talk. "Tenzo! You're home!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't know Tenzo's giant eyes could get any bigger than normal, but watching him blink owlishly at the child was amusing. Apparently, dealing with a non-verbal child was an entirely different thing to Tenzo than this, because the Anbu was frozen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It started this morning." Iruka said with a smile. "He's quite the talker." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo finally shook himself out of his stupor. "Uh… yes. I'm home." He said plainly. Kakashi smiled brightly at him. "Let's go outside!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo short-circuited, stammering an answer. "O-okay." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka let Tenzo go outside with Kakashi, and took the free time to take a quick shower. Most of the time, he just took showers with Kakashi in his arm. It was impractical, but he was used to it now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He regretted that decision immediately when he walked outside to see Tenzo handing </span>
  <em>
    <span>the toddler </span>
  </em>
  <span>a kunai. "Tenzo! What are you doing?" He practically shrieked. The brunette didn't say anything, and Iruka didn't make it in time to stop Kakashi from throwing the weapon. Then, he felt stupid. Kakashi was the child prodigy of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>famous ninja. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>shouldn't</span>
  </em>
  <span> have surprised him so much when the child's form was perfect, and he nailed the wooden target across the yard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka stood there dumbfounded, but snapped out of it when Kakashi turned to him with a smile on his face. "Good job, Kakashi!" He shouted excitedly, ruffling the young boy's hair affectionately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This boy was </span>
  <em>
    <span>full </span>
  </em>
  <span>of surprises, and Iruka wasn't sure how the hell he was going to keep him cooped up for the next few years. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kakashi was two when Iruka started becoming stir-crazy. He missed being out in public. And now, every time he went out, he had to field a million questions about where he had been, and why he was no longer working at the school. It was rough, though it had gotten a bit easier once he started having Tenzo carry Kakashi around instead. He had gotten way too many funny looks from people. The brown wig Kakashi wore didn't help. If anything, people were starting to suspect he had a secret child. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was laying on the bed, curled around Kakashi's sleeping form when the boy jerked up suddenly. He had obviously heard something, from the way he was looking around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" Iruka asked quietly, placing his hand on the young boy's shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Someone's at the door." The tiny voice replied, right before the toddler sprinted out of bed and out of the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Iruka heard the knocking as he followed him, narrowly bumping into Tenzo as they both entered the hallway at the same time. It was too late. Kakashi had made it to the door, and swung it open carelessly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They hadn't had a visitor in the four months they had been here, and Iruka was worried. He scooped up Kakashi quickly as he entered the doorway, making a mental note to scold him later for answering the door on his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, it was Tsunade, who looked completely amused by the tiniest Hatake answering the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who are you?" Kakashi asked grumpily, struggling to escape from Iruka's hold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade huffed a laugh. "Hey, brat. I'm Tsunade." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi scowled at her, which only made her laugh more. Iruka invited the woman in, and set Kakashi down once the door was shut again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What can we do for you, Lady Tsunade?" Iruka asked politely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, I wanted to check in, but I was also hoping you could tell me where I might find- oh! You're </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Tsunade paused, noticing Tenzo in the kitchen making coffee. She looked him up and down, seemingly entertained by the fact that Tenzo was obviously staying here. His hair was a disaster, his clothes were disheveled, and he was in pajamas. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, even in his sleep deprived state, (Kakashi had kept him up half the night forcing him to tell stories) he was professional. He bowed softly. "Lady Tsunade, you were looking for me?" He asked quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes. I was. I was surprised to find that your apartment was all but abandoned." She mused, narrowing her eyes slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo nodded. "I've found that it is just easier to stay here most of the time, instead of running back and forth." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade hummed, watching as Kakashi ran off to the bathroom. Iruka was beyond happy when Kakashi was suddenly grumpy about wearing diapers. He had lectured Iruka for five whole minutes about how he could use the big kid toilet. It was so convenient to have Sakumo teaching these things to Kakashi in his memories.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi? Do you need help?" Iruka called out, knowing that the tiny child was stubborn and wouldn't accept it even if he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!" Came the grumpy shout from the bathroom, and Tenzo almost spit out his coffee laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade chuckled. "Well, I'm glad to see things are still going well. But I'm here because I can't seem to shake Gai away from me. I'm half tempted to let him in on this just so he'll </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut up</span>
  </em>
  <span>." She took a deep breath. "I'm leaving it up to you, Tenzo. He hasn't seen your mask... but still. Your identity as Anbu is important. The other option, is for us to forge a letter from Kakashi using your knowledge of the man. Think you could pull that off?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo crossed his arms, thinking hard as he stared at the floor. Finally, he sighed, and looked at the older woman. "Gai knows him better than any of us. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Even if</span>
  </em>
  <span> I thought I could pull it off, he would </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>that Kakashi would never write him a letter. It's just not who he is. I'm going to regret saying this, but I think we should bring him in. If </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gai </span>
  </em>
  <span>is no longer worried about Kakashi, then I don't think anyone else will be either." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room went silent as Kakashi padded back in, standing behind Iruka awkwardly. As confident as the child was, he was still apprehensive of the woman. Iruka smiled at him, ruffling his hair affectionately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade kneeled down, resting her hands on her knees. "Kakashi, I'm a doctor. I'm actually here to give you a checkup. Do you know what that means?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi nodded slowly. "I'm not sick. I don't need a check up." He replied, moving closer to Iruka's leg. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade smiled softly. "I know you aren't. I'm going around checking </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the future ninjas, just to make sure they are on the right track. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be a ninja, don't you?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi stepped forward slowly. "I'm going to be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>strong</span>
  </em>
  <span> ninja. Just like my papa is." He declared quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So then you want to get the ninja checkup?" Tsunade asked, and Kakashi nodded quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come here, squirt." Iruka cooed, lifting Kakashi by his arms until he could grab around his waist. He carried the boy to the couch, sitting and letting Kakashi sit on his legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka didn't know how long Kakashi was going to allow him to treat him this way. Honestly, he was a little sad that Kakashi was aging so quickly. From what Tenzo had told him, Kakashi was a closed off teenager. Would he </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>Iruka hanging around? How long would it be before Iruka had to tell him what was going on? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka swallowed nervously, willing those thoughts away as he squeezed Kakashi tightly in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Rukaaaaa. You're squishing meee." Kakashi whined, kicking out playfully and making adorable squeaking noises. Iruka laughed, releasing the squirming child. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi sat patiently, letting Tsunade check him over meticulously. He even allowed her to look in his mouth. (Kakashi was weirdly self-conscious about his teeth.) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at her hopefully, waiting for her to tell him that he was good enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled brightly at him. "Well, Kakashi, everything appears to be good. You're going to be a wonderful ninja. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe </span>
  </em>
  <span>even the best ever." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's eyes brightened, and Tenzo reached over to ruffle his hair. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Second </span>
  </em>
  <span>best." He said with a smile. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm </span>
  </em>
  <span>the best." Tenzo said, poking himself in the chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi narrowed his eyes at him, and jumped to his feet. "No way, Tenzo! I'll beat you in no time! You'll see!" Kakashi shouted, pointing at him. Tsunade and Iruka laughed heartily, and Tenzo smiled fondly at his captain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next hour, Kakashi dragged Tsunade around the house, showing her all of his things and having her watch him throw kunai. She was impressed, of course, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>who wouldn't be?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Iruka almost teared up when he dragged her to his room and showed her his favorite toy. It was the stuffed dolphin that Iruka had picked out for him in town. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh? Where'd you get </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>one?" Tsunade asked, humoring the child while shooting Iruka a knowing look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ruka got it for me!" He shouted excitedly, hugging the plush toy to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Tsunade left, she announced that she would send Gai over in the morning. Iruka was nervous. Gai was… </span>
  <em>
    <span>loud. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tsunade assured him that he could be very professional, and he hoped that was true. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka watched Kakashi sleep. The boy was curled up with his dolphin. Iruka's mind was wandering. How long would he be sharing a bed with this child? How long until Kakashi decided he wanted Iruka to sleep on the couch? He was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>attached </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him, and had a hard time remembering that Kakashi was an </span>
  <em>
    <span>adult. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka sighed and laid down, resting his face on the top of Kakashi's head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was 5 in the morning when someone knocked on the door. Iruka rolled out of bed ungracefully, leaving Kakashi asleep on the bed. It would be better to talk to Gai alone first, and it was a miracle the boy hadn't woken up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo got to the door first, and Gai looked genuinely </span>
  <em>
    <span>confused </span>
  </em>
  <span>to see them there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why, hello there!" Gai greeted Tenzo, who looked a bit overwhelmed just from the introduction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gai spotted Iruka, and tilted his head. "Iruka-sensei?" He asked in confusion. "I was… </span>
  <em>
    <span>not aware </span>
  </em>
  <span>that my rival would have company. I was told to come here to speak about an important mission."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka smacked his hand to his forehead. Tsunade hadn't told Gai </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and was probably laughing her ass off somewhere with a bottle of sake. Tenzo was officially frozen in the doorway, and Iruka gently pushed him out of the way. They needed to get Gai filled in before Kakashi woke up. "Please, come inside. We'll explain everything." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gai walked inside slowly, clearly looking around for Kakashi as he went. He must have been pretty worried about his "rival's" absence if he was bothering Tsunade about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gai apparently didn't feel like playing around. As soon as he sat down, Gai spoke. "Where is Kakashi? Is he injured?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka paused, unsure what to say for a moment. Tenzo stood awkwardly towards the kitchen, staring at the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Technically</span>
  </em>
  <span>… he's not injured. But there has been a… </span>
  <em>
    <span>complication.</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Iruka started. His heart stopped when he heard tiny footsteps running down the hall. "Ruka!" Kakashi shouted happily as he ran and launched himself into Iruka's lap. The chunin caught him easily, but kept his gaze on Gai, trying to silently beg the man not to say anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi." Tenzo spoke softly, finally speaking again after Gai's intrusion. Gai's jaw appeared to be stuck, dropped several inches from where it usually sat. Kakashi turned in Iruka's lap, standing on his legs to look over the back of the couch at Tenzo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go outside and practice some throwing." Tenzo offered, reaching over the back of the couch to pick the boy up. "Okay!" Kakashi shouted excitedly, as Tenzo thankfully carried him down the hallway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gai just watched Iruka incredulously, waiting for the explanation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't easy to explain everything to Gai, though the man seemed quite a bit smarter than people gave him credit for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So… he doesn't know?" Gai asked quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka shook his head. "I think maybe another month or two, and we can try to explain it to him. He's </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>smart… but I don't want to put that on him yet." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gai nodded, leaning with his arms on his knees. "I see why Tsunade wants to keep this quiet. This type of jutsu… could do a lot of damage to someone. I'm glad Kakashi will have you to help him through it." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of the back door opening caught his attention. Tenzo tried to call Kakashi back outside, but the boy was persistent, and crawled back into Iruka's lap. The chunin laughed, hugging him to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm hungry, Ruka. Is your friend going to eat breakfast with us?" Kakashi asked, allowing Iruka to love on him a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't be rude. Introduce yourself." Iruka scolded with a laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi rolled his eyes. Where he had learned that… Iruka didn't know. The boy hopped down from the couch, walking up to Gai nervously. "I'm Kakashi." He said quietly, a blush on his face as he held out his hand. "This is my house." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo chuckled from the kitchen, and Gai was holding back a laugh as well. "Well, Kakashi, this is a nice house. I'm Gai. Do you mind if I stay for breakfast?" The tall man asked, shaking the tiny hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi wrinkled his nose at the question. "I think Ruka gets to choose that. He's in charge while Papa is away." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka saw the tears in Gai's eyes, but the man managed to keep his composure. "We'd be happy to have you stay for breakfast." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gai stood up and walked over to Tenzo. "Nice to meet you, my friend. I am Gai." The giant man spoke strongly, and Tenzo stared at him owlishly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh… I'm Tenzo." The Anbu answered, rubbing behind his neck nervously. He knew that Iruka had revealed his relationship to Kakashi. They had discussed it at length once Kakashi had fallen asleep. Iruka imagined that it still had to be nerve-wracking for the man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka tried to be a buffer between the two. Tenzo was becoming the brother he never had, and he didn't want to let Gai make him too uncomfortable. Breakfast was great. Kakashi told Gai about all the training he was doing, and the green-clad jounin humored him nicely. Iruka was grateful for the company. Gai had ended up being more fun to have around than he had expected. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was 2 months later, when Kakashi was three, that the boy noticed something was weird. He had a long pause, and looked to Iruka curiously. "How come you and Papa are never here at the same time?" The young boy asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka sighed softly, pulling Kakashi into his arms as he sat on the floor. "Why do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>think that is?" Iruka asked, curious about what the boy was thinking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi frowned. He was used to Iruka returning his questions by now. "I… I don't know. Something feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka hummed. "Do you really want to know?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi nodded slowly, watching Iruka with worried eyes. "Is something wrong with me?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka ran his hand through Kakashi's hair. "Well… I guess the correct answer is </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes. </span>
  </em>
  <span>When you're with your dad, how do you feel? Does everything feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Or does it feel more like you're watching a movie?" Iruka asked slowly. He had been wanting to talk to Kakashi about the memories for a very long time… but the chance to actually do so was bittersweet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi furrowed his brows and looked down to his feet. "Well… I guess it's like a movie. It doesn't feel like when you are here. Am I in a genjutsu?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The worried look in Kakashi's eyes tugged at Iruka's heart. "No. You're not in a genjutsu. What you are experiencing when you are with your father is your </span>
  <em>
    <span>true memories.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The problem you have right now, is that someone has cursed you. You're </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>injured, and it will fix itself in time… but it's still there. What you are experiencing </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> with me, is what is really happening in your life. When your father is around, it's because you are recapturing your memories from when you were really this age." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not really this age?" Kakashi asked quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka shook his head. "No. You are much older. The problem is, someone has hit you with a curse. It turned you back into a baby, and erased your memories. The good news is, you are growing </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>fast, and will be back to normal in a few years." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi didn't respond for a bit. He simply stared down at his hands as he processed the information. Eventually, he looked back up to the teacher. "How old am I really?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka thought for a moment. "Well… next month you will be 25."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi wrinkled his face adorably. "I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>that old?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Is that how old </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>are?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka laughed. "No. I'm three years younger than you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi almost looked offended, until he looked worried again. "In my </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> life… are we friends?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka's words failed him then. Apparently, his silence was enough, and Kakashi's eyes started to water. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey." He spoke softly, wiping away Kakashi's tears with his thumbs. "Just because we weren't friends </span>
  <em>
    <span>before</span>
  </em>
  <span>, doesn't mean we can't be friends </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I'll still be your friend when this is all over, too." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That seemed to calm Kakashi down… at least for the moment. They still had a lot to talk about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If we weren't friends, why are you helping me?" Kakashi asked, sniffling a little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka hummed again. "Because you're going to need someone to be here for you. The point of this jutsu is to make you experience all of the worst things in your life all over again in a short time. I'd like to be here to help you… if you'll let me." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If it's so horrible, how come my Papa hasn't come to see me?" Kakashi asked quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka didn't know if he could answer that. The look on his face was enough, and Kakashi's eyes watered again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You'll stay with me?" Kakashi asked hopefully as tears streaked down his cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes." Iruka answered shakily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Promise?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka tried to smile down at the crying child, who was far too young to be dealing with any of this. This jutsu was officially the most horrific thing Iruka had ever seen in his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I promise." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tenzo finally came home late the next night. Iruka had stayed up all night, sick with worry. Tenzo's mission was supposed to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>one day</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Him coming home on day three was abnormal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the front door opened, Kakashi was out of bed and across the floor. Iruka raced to catch him, afraid of what kind of condition Tenzo might be in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't make it. Kakashi jumped out into the hall just in time to see Tenzo collapse onto the floor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why didn't he just go to the damn hospital?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka raced to the Anbu's side, turning him onto his back so he could look at him. He peeled the ceramic mask away from his face, unhappy to note the blood coming from his mouth. He looked back towards Kakashi, who stood frozen in the hall. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What were they going to do</span>
  </em>
  <span>? He couldn't leave Kakashi with Tenzo to go for help, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly </span>
  </em>
  <span>couldn't get the man to the hospital alone, </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>bring Kakashi with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Shit." </span>
  </em>
  <span>Iruka cursed under his breath. The large amount of blood soaking through Tenzo's shirt was terrifying, and he found himself also frozen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A large cloud of smoke drew him from his thoughts and back to Kakashi. The child was lying flat on the ground, breathing heavily, and a small dog was staring at him like he'd seen a ghost. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi could summon at 3?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Apparently not very well, since he didn't appear to be conscious anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pup?" The dog asked, staring at Kakashi in clear bewilderment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dog!" Iruka called out sharply, drawing the pug's attention to him. He seemed just as surprised to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span> as he was to see Kakashi. "Can you get Lady Tsunade? Like… immediately? She should be at the Hokage Mansion." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dog seemed a bit confused on what the hell was happening… understandably, since his master was a toddler again and strange people were in his house. Upon taking a longer look at Tenzo, he relented. "Okay. But you better explain everything when we get here." The dog spoke as he left out the doggy door Iruka hadn't noticed in his 6 months living here. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He set to work, attempting to find the worst of Tenzo's injuries as he carefully cut open his shirt. He was littered with wounds… looking a bit like he had been ambushed. Blood was pouring out of several places on his chest. Iruka tried to stop the bleeding, periodically looking back to check on Kakashi. He was still lying on the floor when Tsunade burst through the front door violently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn't say anything. She dropped down to her knees and went to work. She was very clearly upset. The older woman had seemed to have a soft spot for Tenzo, and the only answer the other man would ever give was that it had to do with his jutsu. The small dog returned, out of breath and sweaty. Iruka left Tenzo's side. He would only get in Tsunade's way. When he moved to Kakashi, he was awake, but exhausted. Iruka picked him up carefully, one arm under his back and one under his legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi looked up to him weakly, and Iruka placed a kiss on his forehead. "You did good, Kakashi. I don't know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>you did it, but thank you." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi didn't answer, but he tried to curl into Iruka's chest. Shizune ran through the door, Tonton following close behind her. She assisted Tsunade quickly, and all Iruka could do was watch Tenzo's shallow breathing as they worked on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pug nudged it's way onto Iruka's lap, curling into a silent ball on Kakashi's stomach. Iruka was glad the dog wasn't going to try to make Iruka explain it all right away. He wasn't sure his voice would even </span>
  <em>
    <span>work</span>
  </em>
  <span> at this point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka must have been a bit in shock, because suddenly Tsunade was snapping her fingers in his face. "Iruka!" She yelled, until he finally managed to meet her eyes. "Tenzo's going to be fine. I will come get you two tomorrow so you can visit him. Until then, Kakashi needs to rest. Clean yourselves up and </span>
  <em>
    <span>get to bed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I'll have someone come by to fix your door and clean up this mess." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka finally looked at Kakashi again. He had inadvertently gotten Tenzo's blood all over him. Together, they were a mess. Kakashi was unconscious again, and Iruka still couldn't make himself move. Tsunade, Shizune, and Tenzo were already long gone by the time the pug put a paw in his face to get his attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey! Sensei!" He called out sharply. "Get a move on. You can't sit here all night."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka nodded his head slowly, having a hard time looking away from the giant pool of blood on the floor. "C-can you stick around for a while?" He asked the dog quietly as he tried to lift himself from the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Let's get him in the shower. As long as the pup's not in any danger… I guess you can explain things in the morning." The dog answered, watching Kakashi remain limp in Iruka's arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can give you the </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>short version at least." Iruka replied as he moved down the hallway and into the bathroom. "Kakashi's been cursed. He was turned into a baby and I'm taking care of him while he grows back into his former self." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay then." The pug accepted easily. Iruka was a bit surprised he had no questions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm Pakkun, by the way." The dog replied, holding out a paw. Iruka moved to shake it, but paused midway when he remembered he was soaked in blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pakkun stayed with him the entire time as he stripped himself and Kakashi. He turned on the shower and sat partially under the spray, washing the blood off of both of them carefully. Kakashi didn't wake up at all. Not even when Iruka dressed him in pajamas and put him in bed. Iruka laid on his side, clutching the small boy to his chest as tears started to fall. Pakkun jumped up on the bed, curling up in front of Kakashi. "Everyone's going to be okay, Sensei. Try to get some sleep." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka nodded softly, and tucked his face into soft silver hair, trying to calm himself enough to shut his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka jumped awake as soon as Kakashi started moving in the morning. He looked down to the sleepy child, who was staring at Pakkun in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"P-Pakkun? You're so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>big</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Kakashi whispered, reaching out to pet the dog. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dog chuckled, and leaned in to the contact. "And you're so </span>
  <em>
    <span>small</span>
  </em>
  <span>, pup." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi frowned. "I know. Ruka told me all about it." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a loud knocking from the front room, and Iruka wondered if someone had already fixed the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi, please stay in here for a minute. I'll go get it." Iruka said softly, running a hand through the boy's hair before leaving. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, all of the blood was gone from the floor, and the door was replaced. It made him a little uncomfortable to think that someone had been in the house while they were sleeping, but he tried not to dwell on it. Tsunade was at the door, looking exhausted. She had bags under her eyes and her clothes were a bit disheveled. "Is Tenzo alright?" Iruka asked immediately. Tsunade nodded, looking around him to the spot on the floor. "I see Shizune got the mess all cleaned up."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah. At least Shizune already knew of their situation. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes. She did. Thank you." Iruka mused, looking back at the spot himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Would you like to visit him? I'm not sure how close you guys are." Tsunade asked quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Miss Tsunade?" Kakashi's small voice rang out from the hallway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka turned, smiling when he saw that Kakashi had carried Pakkun out as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, Kakashi?" She answered, a fond smile on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy stepped closer, holding Pakkun to his chest and petting him softly. "You said before… that I would be a great ninja? Is that true? Am I a good ninja in my </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>life?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade's eyebrows rose. "So he knows?" She asked, glancing at Iruka, who just nodded. "Ah. Well, yes. It's very true. The checkup was just to make sure that the jutsu didn't do any other damage." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi smiled, then immediately frowned again. "Do we get to go see Tenzo?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka smiled. "Yes. We do. Let's go and get dressed real quick." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi ran into the other room excitedly, and Tsunade looked at him with worry in her eyes. "How'd he take it?" She asked quietly. "He's still pretty young."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka nodded. "He is. But he knew something was wrong. He handled it </span>
  <em>
    <span>alright</span>
  </em>
  <span>… but I think he already understands why his father hasn't come to see him. He hasn't asked about it again… but I think he knows."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade hummed quietly, and Iruka excused himself to get changed. When he got into the bedroom, Kakashi was stuck in a long sleeved shirt, trying to get dressed without putting Pakkun down. The dog was laughing, and Kakashi was giggling as well… even with his head stuck in a sleeve. Iruka couldn't help but join in the laughter, helping him get the shirt situated enough that he could put Pakkun in the other arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know… we probably can't take Pakkun with us. A lot of people recognize your summons. We aren't supposed to allow people to know what's happened." Iruka spoke strongly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi frowned, holding the dog tighter. "How come?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka laughed at the child's pouting face. "Because if people find out that such a jutsu exists, they will try to learn to wield it. From what I've gathered, the person that did this to you was taken care of… but that doesn't mean someone else can't learn it. We need to hide your identity. That's why we haven't been going outside together except in the backyard."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's frown deepened, but he nodded, placing Pakkun gently on the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry, Pup. I'll still be here when you get back. I will stick around until you're a little older and can summon me better." The dog spoke. Iruka was still surprised by how deep his voice was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ruka?" Kakashi asked nervously. He tilted his head, and dropped down to his knees in front of the boy. "Yes?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi was blushing. "Um… since I know about the jutsu now… does that mean we can go places? I know why I need to hide who I am now." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka hadn't thought about that. Really, it was a good point. Even with his old memories filtering in, Kakashi must be getting a bit stir crazy as well. He could easily just introduce Kakashi as a child he was tutoring and no one would know the difference. Plus… a fancy tutoring job from a rich villager would be a perfect excuse for him to take a break from teaching. "Actually, yes. I think we can." He said with a smile. "Let's go find the new wig Tenzo picked up for you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka breathed deeply. It had been 3 months since he had gotten out of the house. With Kakashi being older and mobile, it was impossible to leave without him risking their cover. Now, with Kakashi holding his hand and walking beside him in a short brown wig, he couldn't help the smile that was stuck to his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ruka?" Kakashi asked, looking up at him with those dark eyes. They had used makeup to cover the scar, and it would be impossible to tell who the child really was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes?" He answered, squeezing the tiny hand in his. Tsunade walked beside them in silence, probably just happy to be out of the office. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You… have been stuck inside because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, haven't you?" Kakashi asked solemnly. Iruka couldn't resist the sad boy. He scooped him up in his arms, holding Kakashi to his front so they were face to face. Any interaction between them was nothing short of amusing to the Hokage, and Iruka could feel her gaze on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well… kind of. I could have left you with Tenzo and went out alone. I chose not to." He answered easily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why?" He asked innocently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka smiled at him. "I guess I just enjoy my time with you too much." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi smiled, and squirmed until Iruka put him down again. Kakashi gripped his hand firmly. The boy knew he wasn't allowed to let go of Iruka's hand. It was the one rule they had for going out, (other than the whole hiding his identity thing) at least until the boy was older. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halfway to the hospital, an onslaught of memories forced Kakashi to pause. Iruka recognized it and picked him up so they could continue walking. Tsunade had never seen it before, and watched him closely. When Kakashi finally seemed to be back in the present, he looked around curiously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" Iruka asked fondly, nuzzling his nose against the boy's. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi finished regaining his bearings, and smiled at him. "Yes. I can walk now." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka laughed and set him back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quite a few people waved at him. He shouldn't have been surprised. He hadn't been seen in public in quite some time. Now that he thought about it, he probably should've just sent a clone to do some errands so it wouldn't seem so strange. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the hospital, people definitely stared when they entered with Tsunade, though one glance from her and everyone turned away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the private sector of the hospital, back where they usually take the injured Anbu members, they walked up to a door guarded by a weasel masked kid. He seemed fairly young, and something seemed really familiar about his long black hair. Iruka tried not to stare, but that was made nearly impossible as the guy watched him and Kakashi closely. Too close for comfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Weasel." Tsunade said impatiently, waiting for him to get the hell out of their way. The man obeyed immediately, though Iruka thought he saw a flash of red eyes behind the mask as they walked by. Would a sharingan be able to tell Kakashi apart from other people? Iruka didn't know enough about the dojutsu to deny it. He held Kakashi's hand tightly as they walked into the room. There wasn't a reason to think that one Anbu guessing Kakashi's identity would put him in danger. Kakashi </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>Anbu, wasn't he? Maybe Iruka was just being a bit overprotective and paranoid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo was shifting awake on the bed, blinking up at the ceiling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Glad to see you're finally awake." Tsunade said somewhat bitterly. Tenzo caught the tone, and flinched the smallest amount. He knew he was in trouble. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing Tenzo now, all bandaged up, sent Iruka's anger to the surface. He picked Kakashi up and set him on the edge of the bed, and immediately started lecturing him. "What the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell </span>
  </em>
  <span>were you thinking? </span>
  <em>
    <span>You should've gone straight to the hospital!"</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo grimaced and held his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry. I know you aren't a medic, and it isn't your responsibility to look after me." He spoke quickly, pausing when Iruka was sure he looked like smoke was coming out of his ears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You think I am upset that I had to try to </span>
  <em>
    <span>help you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Are you kidding me?!"</span>
  </em>
  <span> Iruka practically yelled. Tenzo shrunk back in the bed, and Iruka took a moment to breathe, rubbing the bridge of his nose. When he looked back, Kakashi had moved up by Tenzo's pillow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're upset because you could have </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span>." The young boy said sternly. If it wasn't such a serious subject, it would have been funny. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo seemed to understand though, and slunk down solemnly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi took it upon himself to worm his way between Tenzo's arm and his side, laying back against the mattress. The act made the Anbu's eyes water for a moment before he managed to reel himself in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade cleared her throat. "Well… I was going to lecture you myself, but it seems they have that covered. I'm giving you a couple weeks off to recover. Enjoy it." She said before excusing herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka sighed and dropped himself down into a chair. Tenzo finally seemed to realize that he had walked all the way across town with Kakashi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You made it through the village okay?" He asked, messing with Kakashi's wig a bit. When the child looked up at him, he seemed shocked to see the makeup over his scar. There was no reason for Kakashi to agree to that unless he knew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When?" He asked, looking at Iruka in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Two days ago." Iruka said with a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi smiled up at him as well. "Hey Tenzo, are we friends in my real life?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo's eyebrows raised. "Yep. We are. We even work together." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi looked absolutely thrilled. "You mean I get to go on all of the cool, secret missions with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo chuckled deeply. "Yes. Even better, you are the </span>
  <em>
    <span>captain </span>
  </em>
  <span>of our squad." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi looked up at him in amazed wonder… right up until the tiniest smirk spread across his face. "If I'm the captain… doesn't that mean I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>a better ninja than you?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo's shocked and offended reaction was enough to send Iruka into a laughing fit for the next ten minutes. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This chapter is a bit shorter than the others because I hit the point I wanted to stop at sooner than anticipated. </p><p>Time skips quite a bit in this one, but I try to make sure to elaborate on where we are at in Kakashi's growth. I think i can wrap this up in one more chapter.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next two months, all Kakashi wanted to do was train, or walk around the village with Iruka. Iruka had never trained so much in his </span>
  <em>
    <span>life</span>
  </em>
  <span>… and honestly, he had never been beaten by a child until then. Kakashi was clever. He learned fast, and Iruka learned a shameful amount of things from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo simply watched in amusement. Iruka was </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>learning more about the mysterious man that lived with them. Kakashi had trained him in Anbu. If Iruka could hardly win against a </span>
  <em>
    <span>four year old </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kakashi… was what </span>
  <em>
    <span>adult </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kakashi like? He certainly couldn't hope to beat a man of Tenzo's caliber, either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo had described him in one word. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Deadly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at the child that was asleep in a pile of blankets on the couch… he just couldn't see it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi was just over four years old when he randomly announced that he had met Gai at school. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You didn't tell me how annoying he is." Kakashi said grumpily as he ate his sandwich. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next time the overly enthusiastic man visited, Kakashi made sure to tell him as much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Kakashi got rapidly older, he also became more self-conscious about his teeth. They were quite prominent, but all Iruka could think when he saw a little fang sticking out over his lip was how adorable it was. Thankfully, Kakashi stopped reaching for the mask. They had bought him one, just so he could be comfortable, but he only wore it for a few minutes at a time, and always right after he had regained memories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The main problem with Kakashi growing so quickly, was the fact that Sakumo only saved limited clothing after infancy. They were going clothes shopping once every couple weeks, and had to beg Tsunade to start footing the bill. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One day when Kakashi was five, they were watching a movie when the boy paused for a long period of time. If anything interesting happened in his memories, he was happy to share it with Iruka. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" He asked when Kakashi finally returned to awareness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes!" He shouted excitedly. "I made genin!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka helped him celebrate by making his favorite dinner, and going for a nice long walk around the village. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Kakashi made chunin at 6, Iruka's heart dropped. No matter his excitement in the moment, he knew it was only a matter of time before the bad memories started. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point, the boy still wanted to share a room with him. Was Kakashi going to push him away? How could he help the poor boy?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything went relatively fine over the next month. Iruka held his breath whenever Kakashi paused, and waited for the inevitable. They made it through Kakashi's first kill with relative ease, and even made it past the disappointment of his first failed mission. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Kakashi paused for a long time in the kitchen, and once again Iruka held his breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi sunk down to his knees immediately, and Iruka knew. He ran to the boy's side. "Are you okay?" He asked, already knowing the answer from the tears streaming down Kakashi's face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No." Kakashi choked out between sobs, and Iruka scooped him up into his arms. Kakashi was almost 7 years old, but Iruka was still determined to carry him just as he did when he was 3. He sat on the couch, rocking back and forth as Kakashi cried into his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were still like that when Tenzo returned home, and the Anbu could probably guess right away what had happened. Tenzo stood silently, watching Kakashi cry for what Iruka could only assume was the first time, judging by his awkward reaction. He knew that Tenzo was finding it difficult to distinguish the child before him, and his stoic captain. It must be strange… to see him bawling his eyes out in Iruka's arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The teacher had to wonder as he held onto Kakashi's shaking shoulders… </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span> had done this for him the </span>
  <em>
    <span>first </span>
  </em>
  <span>time? Was there someone that Kakashi was able to lean on? Who was there to tell him that his father hadn't done that because </span>
  <em>
    <span>his son just wasn't good enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Who was there to explain to him all the terrible thoughts and feelings your brain could create? Or that Sakumo had tried his hardest to fight a battle he </span>
  <em>
    <span>just couldn't win</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Did the third Hokage take Kakashi and explain to him how his father's heart had broken in two when his mother died? Or how the village burned a hole in what was left of him when they turned their backs on him? Somehow… knowing the third Hokage personally… he doubted it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi summoned all 8 of his ninken to sleep with them that night, and Iruka continued to whisper things to him. Even after Kakashi fell asleep, he told him that he would always be loved, even if his father wasn't able to be there for him anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi was mostly silent the next few days, but with Iruka forcing him to eat, and Tenzo taking him outside to train with the ninken, things slowly returned to normal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every time Kakashi gained new memories, he craved affection from Iruka. It was all the answer he needed. Kakashi had been completely alone after his dad had died. He would never let Kakashi suffer alone again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the next few months, Kakashi became much more aware of what was real, and what wasn't. The memories still affected him, but he knew that Iruka was there to help. Always. He shared his pain, telling him about the immense loneliness he was feeling, and the rejection every time a team decided they "just couldn't work with him." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>More than that, Kakashi was starting to separate himself from the past entirely. He didn't understand the way he was acting, or why he treated people so carelessly. Kakashi was becoming a different person, deviating from his past in a way Iruka hadn't quite predicted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kakashi was 12, and Iruka had been with him for two years. It felt less like he was a parental figure, and more like a friend. Kakashi had quickly become his best friend, even closer than he had gotten with Tenzo. Though the Anbu himself had undergone many changes as well. He would tell Iruka random unimportant things, like when he had decided his favorite color was green. (Tenzo had apparently never </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought</span>
  </em>
  <span> about colors before.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, Iruka felt like he was trying to teach a robot how to be a human being. Tenzo was… </span>
  <em>
    <span>clueless</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He didn't know how to want things for himself, or how to share personal feelings. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Iruka had it to the point that Tenzo would come to him to talk about bad missions. A few times, Iruka went </span>
  <em>
    <span>green</span>
  </em>
  <span> listening to the horrific things Tenzo had to do to complete a mission (without classified details being shared of course). But, he stayed by Tenzo's side and weathered through it… because the other man was probably just as lonely as Kakashi had been. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a full time job helping both of them, but Iruka was happy to do it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his experience, he knew immediately something was wrong when Kakashi came back from the bathroom in silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" Iruka asked, looping an arm around Kakashi's shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes." The boy answered quietly, staring through the wall across the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you promise?" Iruka tried. Kakashi was always confident when he told Iruka he was fine. This time… it was all wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of answering, Kakashi just started crying hysterically, shaking and sobbing and tracing the scar around his eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took two hours before Kakashi was able to speak again, his voice small and hoarse as he huddled into Iruka's side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did I lose it?" Kakashi asked desperately, still touching his scars. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was quick to reassure him. "No! No! You still have Obito's eye… I promise. Tsunade had to seal it for a while, because you were too little to handle it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The realization that Obito's eye was still with him was enough to relax some of the tension in the small shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he had killed Rin, he was completely distraught, and Iruka got his first glimpse of Kakashi's nightmares. Iruka was able to wake him before they got too far, though Kakashi told him that he often rubbed his skin raw back when they originally started. The thought was horrible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka?" Kakashi asked quietly, after a nasty nightmare forced the older man to wake him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was hugging him tightly, not caring that Kakashi was too old to be babied. "Hmm?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you… going to stop sharing a room with me when I get older?" The now 13 year old asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka's breath faltered a little. He had been waiting for this. Truthfully, it probably was a tad inappropriate for him to continue sharing a bed with the teenager. He just couldn't bring himself to leave Kakashi by himself. He cared for him </span>
  <em>
    <span>far </span>
  </em>
  <span>too much. "Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to quit sharing a room?" He asked in return. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi was quiet for a moment, squeezing the arms he had around Iruka's stomach before finally answering in a whisper. "No." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka smiled into silver hair, relieved he wasn't going to be forced out onto the couch just yet. "Then I will stay. I don't mind sharing… for as long as you still want me to." Iruka replied in a whisper of his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi whispered a broken plea of "don't ever leave me", and Iruka knew he wasn't actually meant to hear it. He didn't respond, just continuing to hold the boy close. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Kakashi joined Anbu at 14, Iruka was shocked. He was just so insanely </span>
  <em>
    <span>young</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and it hurt his heart to know that he was going on the same type of missions as Tenzo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he predicted, Kakashi had some horrible memories to talk about. People killed, lives destroyed, near death experiences… and so much more. How Kakashi had dealt with </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much </span>
  </em>
  <span>on his own was a miracle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night that Kakashi had relived the nine-tails' attack on the village, was the night Tenzo came home shaking and bleeding. Kakashi was dealing with the death of his sensei… and Tenzo had killed a child. Comforting </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>had been a challenge, but Iruka managed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night, Iruka cried silently after Kakashi had finally fallen asleep. After all of this was finally over, and Kakashi was an adult, and Tenzo was back to full-length missions… Iruka would probably need some comfort of his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three days later, Kakashi turned to Iruka with a frown on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" Iruka asked carefully. All week, Kakashi had been telling Iruka about the suicide missions he had been going on, and the stress of it was wearing him thin. He braced himself, preparing for another awful tale of recklessness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I saw you. At the memorial stone." He answered vaguely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Iruka's eyes watered. He had been 11 when his parents had been killed. "You did?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi nodded. "More than once. Did you go there a lot?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka told him about how he had spent nearly every night in front of the stone for months, crying his eyes out and feeling sorry for himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Since I've been gaining my memories, I really don't feel the need to visit the stone." Kakashi mused. "But </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>… you've been stuck here for over two years. Have you gone to visit your parents at all?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka swallowed, and shook his head solemnly. He hadn't gone, because he didn't want Kakashi to see all of the names that had been listed. He didn't want to cause him any unnecessary grief by seeing a name he hadn't expected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We should go." Kakashi replied, holding Iruka's hand tightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The younger boy's face was full of concern, and suddenly Iruka wasn't sure when the tables had turned. He was supposed to be the one comforting Kakashi… not the other way around. Yet, before he knew it he was crying in the young boy's arms, and then walking with him to the stone. Kakashi had promised not to look at the names, but that didn't stop him from supporting Iruka through his reunion with his parents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a week later when Kakashi started to look at Tenzo. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Really </span>
  </em>
  <span>look at Tenzo. Several times, he opened his mouth to say something, only to change his mind and go back to what he was doing. The older man had obviously noticed Kakashi's strange behavior, but chose not to comment on it. The whole thing was driving Iruka insane. Finally, Kakashi voiced his suspicions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tenzo?" The teen asked as they were preparing dinner together. Tenzo had been chopping vegetables, while Kakashi prepped the fish, and Iruka worked on the rice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo looked up, stilling the blade in his hands with a sigh, as if he already knew where this was going. "Yes?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi fumbled with his words. "Are you… were you…" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kinoe?" Tenzo spoke suddenly, and Iruka was even more confused than before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi wasn't. In fact, he looked a bit betrayed by the answer. "But… you're in… the </span>
  <em>
    <span>foundation?"</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I </span>
  <em>
    <span>was.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I am not anymore. Trust me… in a few months, you'll see." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi thankfully trusted Tenzo. Iruka wasn't sure what to think, but he already knew that it was something Tenzo wouldn't want to talk about. He had to hope that when the time came, Kakashi would tell him. He trusted Tenzo, and unfortunately that meant that he had to wait for answers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't take long for Kakashi to tell him about the wood style user named Kinoe that had tried to assassinate the Hokage. He had lived with Tenzo for over </span>
  <em>
    <span>two years</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and had not known that the man had the mokuton… or that he had tried to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Hokage a few years before he stepped down and had Tsunade take over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka trusted Tenzo. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span>. So why was he so nervous around the man all of a sudden? Tsunade's judgement was sound. If </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>trusted Tenzo… they should too. Kakashi was also feeling a bit strange around the Anbu, and Tenzo was starting to notice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka hadn't been aware of just how far he had been pushing Tenzo away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One night, a week after the assassination memory had resurfaced, Tenzo had come home from a mission and went straight to his room. It was unusual, and Iruka almost ignored it. After all, Tenzo had tried to betray the village. However, Iruka's mind wouldn't let him think of anything else until he checked on the other man. When he walked down the hall, he found Tenzo's door cracked open. That wasn't unusual. He wanted to be able to listen for anyone knocking on the door or trying to break into the house. What </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>unusual though, was that Tenzo was sitting back against the wall on his bed, his knees up to his chest and his face cradled in his arms. He was upset, and Iruka could barely see that his shoulders were shaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing else mattered anymore. It didn't matter that Tenzo had been in the foundation, or anything else he might have done in his past. He was still </span>
  <em>
    <span>family</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Iruka wouldn't leave him to suffer. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn't</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He slowly pushed the man's door open, and padded across the floor. Tenzo's head popped up, surprise obvious in his face, along with the tear trails on his cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even with all of the terrible things Tenzo had told him… he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>seen him cry. The man stiffened up as Iruka approached the bed, but his determination wouldn't waiver. He climbed straight onto the bed and wrapped Tenzo up in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tenzo… I'm sorry I've been pushing you away. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>you aren't that person anymore… and I really hope you'll forgive me." Iruka apologized. Tenzo leaned into him bodily, still crying as he told Iruka about the little girl he had killed that morning, and how she had reminded him of someone from his past. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fact that Tenzo hadn't come to him for reassurance in the first place told Iruka that the Anbu believed they didn't want to be around him anymore. Iruka couldn't believe he had done that to the man that had been helping him all this time. All Tenzo ever did was help. Any time Iruka needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he got it without question. Yet when Tenzo needed him, Iruka had pushed him away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt like </span>
  <em>
    <span>garbage</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and tears streamed down his face as Tenzo continued to hold on to him. It wasn't until Kakashi finally climbed into the bed that they were able to calm themselves down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't until six months later, when Kakashi was 17, that he finally remembered rescuing Tenzo from Danzo's clutches. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kakashi stretched out on the couch, listening to Iruka puttering away in the kitchen. He was 18, and every day he was remembering more things about himself. By now, he was able to keep himself from reacting when his memories caught him off guard. He wouldn't cry anymore when he witnessed himself killing people he didn't want to, or checking himself over when he was almost mortally injured. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Tenzo he knew now, the one that was living in his family home with him, was much different from the puppy-eyed Kohai that idolized him. Tenzo had clearly grown into a mostly functional human being, and he knew Iruka was the one who made that happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see the differences in himself as well. Kakashi had been suicidal, taking on missions that were much too difficult and being far too reckless. Even worse, he treated everyone, especially Tenzo, like doormats. He was almost grateful that Iruka hadn't been previously present in his life. When all of this was finally over, he knew he had a lot of apologies to make.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was pulled from his thoughts when Iruka started humming softly to himself in the kitchen. The sound was soothing, and it relaxed the copy ninja better than anything else ever had. Iruka was a wonderful person. He was truly lucky to have him in his life… even if it meant reliving all of his past mistakes and misery all over again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Truthfully, he had developed considerable feelings for the other man. In his mind, it had been years, though in actuality it had only been about five months. Iruka was a very attractive man, and Kakashi had a hard time not letting his mind wander. Too many times now he had to hide his erections from the chunin. Too many times he had to stop his hands from wandering when they sat together on the couch. Worse than that, he had to fight the urge to kiss the man when they trained, and Kakashi had him pinned him to the ground. It wasn't right. Iruka would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>think of him that way. He had thought about discussing it with Tenzo… but he had chickened out. </span>
</p><p><span>Besides, what would he do if his stupid crush drove Iruka away? They still had another year left at least until Tsunade would let Iruka move out. What if the man was uncomfortable around him after that? He had been </span><em><span>changing his</span></em> <em><span>diapers</span></em><span> 3 years ago. </span><em><span>No way in hell </span></em><span>would he want to pursue a relationship with someone as dysfunctional as him. </span></p><p>
  <span>Iruka was too pure, too gentle, and too kind to date someone like Kakashi. Even with all of the improvements he had made to the jounin's life, Iruka undoubtedly deserved better. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was pulled from his thoughts again as Iruka leaned over the back of the couch, smiling down at him like he was the greatest person in the world. Kakashi opened his left eye, recording the moment with his newly unsealed sharingan. Iruka chuckled, reaching down to gently close his eyelid. "I know you're excited, but you shouldn't use that unless you need it. It's a waste of chakra." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The touch was gentle, and Kakashi fought not to lean in to it. "Okay." He replied with a smile, his heart beating wildly as the man continued to look at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dinner's ready." Iruka finally said, watching him fondly. Kakashi often noticed Iruka doing that, and his brain had tried to convince him that Iruka felt the same things he did. But… he knew he was just kidding himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jumped up from the couch, trying his best not to look too excited to spend more time with the man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka had a problem. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>big </span>
  </em>
  <span>one. And the source of that problem was currently passed out on the bed after training too much earlier in the day. Kakashi was 19. Every day, he was getting closer to gaining his freedom. What was Iruka supposed to do once his brain caught up? Was he supposed to just... </span>
  <em>
    <span>leave</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left the couch and walked down the hall, turning right instead of his usual left to enter Tenzo's room. The door had been left wide open when Tenzo stumbled in earlier. Kakashi could </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>talk him into more training, and they had gone pretty hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo, however, wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite </span>
  </em>
  <span>as comatose as Kakashi. His giant brown eyes cracked open when Iruka walked in, watching as the chunin sat on his bed against the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I… was hoping I could talk to you about something." Iruka spoke nervously, fiddling with his hands. Tenzo didn't speak, but he rolled from his back to his side, facing Iruka and giving his full attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's nothing bad… I just… need another opinion on something." He said, watching as some tension left Tenzo's shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have you ever had a crush on someone? Like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>romantic </span>
  </em>
  <span>crush?" Iruka asked, picking at his fingernails. After a moment of silence, Tenzo shook his head. Iruka almost changed his mind about having this conversation, but Tenzo finally said something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't think I'm capable of those feelings. I've never felt sexually attracted to anyone in my life." Tenzo said plainly. He clearly wasn't bothered by that fact, and Iruka wondered if he was actually asexual… or just a little messed up from his training.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh." Iruka replied, trying to convince himself to keep going. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I… hope that doesn't bother you. I really enjoy being friends with you." Tenzo spoke out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka huffed a laugh, smiling down at the other man. "I could never be bothered by </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There's nothing wrong with it. Sex is </span>
  <em>
    <span>far </span>
  </em>
  <span>from the only thing that matters." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man's body relaxed even more, and it was suddenly clear that Tenzo had never told anyone that before. That much </span>
  <em>
    <span>should </span>
  </em>
  <span>have been obvious. Iruka and Kakashi were the only people the man talked to outside of work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The chunin reached over and rubbed his shoulder a bit, trying to tell him without words that he had nothing to be self-conscious about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who do you have a crush on?" Tenzo asked, though his flat tone told Iruka that he already knew the answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka sighed, and smiled knowingly at him. "Have I been that obvious?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo shook his head. "I don't think so. Kakashi is clearly clueless about it." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka frowned. "You don't think it's </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>for me to like him? We practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>raised</span>
  </em>
  <span> him at this point."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo pursed his lips, then made what looked like a considerable effort to sit up against the wall, his arm touching Iruka's side. "No. I don't. Kakashi has talked to me about it in the past. With these memories being so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>mixed in </span>
  </em>
  <span>with his other ones, it's more like we're all childhood friends. We were around for him his whole childhood, and if </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, we'd be like his babysitters. He was still raised by his father, and when he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn't</span>
  </em>
  <span>… well… we were there to help him pick up the pieces." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka watched Tenzo speak. The man had come </span>
  <em>
    <span>so far</span>
  </em>
  <span> in these last few years. The man didn't even know how to have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>casual conversation</span>
  </em>
  <span> about the weather before… yet here he was giving Iruka a wonderful speech. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka bumped Tenzo affectionately with his shoulder, and the man smiled at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey wait, what do you mean Kakashi is </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly clueless</span>
  </em>
  <span> about it?" Iruka asked. Tenzo looked at him like he had just asked what color an orange was or something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well… if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span>… I don't think he'd spend so much effort trying to hide the fact that he likes you too." Tenzo said matter of factly, like that was the most obvious thing in the world. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"WHAT?!" </span>
  </em>
  <span>Iruka shouted in surprise, before throwing his hand violently over his mouth. He hoped he hadn't just woken Kakashi up, because he needed to know </span>
  <em>
    <span>more. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo winced at his volume, but didn't shy away from Iruka's side. "You didn't know?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka just stared at him, dumbfounded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck like he had just accidentally given away a big secret. "Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. It just… seemed obvious."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Obvious </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Iruka asked in a harsh whisper, wondering what signs he could have missed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well… like when you spar." Tenzo started. "If he pins me, he lets me up immediately. If he pins </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he stays there a lot longer. Or if you are doing chores, he watches you walk around. And even with all of the ways he has changed since the jutsu was cast on him, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>he would never let anyone else touch his face, or continue to sleep in his bed." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka thought for a moment. He thought about all the times he had stared at Kakashi, both of them silent as Iruka admired the man's features. He had focused so much on his </span>
  <em>
    <span>own </span>
  </em>
  <span>embarrassment at his blatant staring… that he hadn't realized Kakashi had been staring too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo launched him back from his thoughts immediately. "Plus, all the erections he gets when you are around seemed pretty obvious too." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka's face went so red that he thought he might pass out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tenzo had really opened his eyes, and Iruka used his newfound knowledge to fully appreciate Kakashi's crush on him. He caught every longing gaze, smiled at him when the man pinned him, and took every chance he could to get close to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Really, even knowing the feelings were mutual, he wasn't sure he should talk to the man about it until he was fully healed. He wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>in his right mind at the moment. What if something changed once he was able to go off on his own again? The thought scared him. He didn't want to push Kakashi into a relationship </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just for him to realize later that it was all due to the jutsu. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka resigned himself to wait until Kakashi was fully himself again. Even with that thought, Iruka continued to enjoy himself. He leaned into the man's arms while they watched movies, snuggled Kakashi while they laid in bed, and smiled at him whenever they locked eyes. It wasn't a simple crush. He knew that now. Iruka would no longer hide it, but he wasn't going to try to force Kakashi to stay once the time came for him to move on. He would let the (technically) older man decide for himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka laid in bed on his side, Kakashi pressed up to his back with his arm around Iruka's waist. This had been their new normal for a while now. They hadn't talked about it. Not once. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now? Iruka couldn't sleep. He hadn't slept properly in </span>
  <em>
    <span>days</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Tenzo had noticed almost immediately, but there was nothing he could say that would help. Kakashi was 23. Any moment now, his brain would remember the last bit that it had lost, and his memories </span>
  <em>
    <span>should </span>
  </em>
  <span>reorganize themselves into the correct order. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were to report to Tsunade as soon as he remembered what he had done with the scroll. In four years, it hadn't been recovered. The only plus side about Kakashi drifting ever closer to the man he once was, was that they could now walk freely around town. Despite the fact that his body would still have four years of catching up to do still, he looked like he once did. No one questioned him about where he had been after their first few days wandering the village. The answer was simply "classified", and people accepted that at face value. Kakashi was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>copy ninja</span>
  </em>
  <span>, man of 1000 jutsus. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course </span>
  </em>
  <span>it was possible for him to be given a mission that lasted almost four years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka tried to feign sleep. Mostly because he knew that Kakashi wasn't sleeping either. He wasn't entirely sure of the reason. Maybe he was anxious to step back into his old life? Iruka silently hoped that it was because he was nervous that Iruka would leave him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course Iruka would never do that. Kakashi would have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>ask </span>
  </em>
  <span>him to leave. All he wanted to do at that moment was spin around and kiss the man that held him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka hadn't had to dance around his feelings with Tenzo. He had already asked the man </span>
  <em>
    <span>a month ago</span>
  </em>
  <span> if he wanted to continue living together once this was all over. Tenzo was family, and he enjoyed his company considerably. He also enjoyed the bright smile the question brought to the man's face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was only one question left, and they had both decided to wait to bring it up until after this mission was officially over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Would Kakashi want them to stay?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If anyone is curious about Tsunade being Hokage at this point, my thoughts are that in light of the rumors of the Uchiha coup, Hiruzen came to a compromise with Fugaku and stepped down. Tsunade became his successor, which means a lot of things changed. </p><p>• No Uchiha massacre<br/>• Sasuke isn't going to live alone and turn into a little asshole<br/>• Tsunade actually makes sure Naruto is being cared for instead of just making empty promises (looking at you, Hiruzen)<br/>• Kakashi doesn't become their jounin sensei, but that's alright because they actually had a support system and will be functioning human beings. <br/>• Iruka wasn't Naruto's teacher. That would have probably been around the time he was reassigned to take care of Kakashi, but the kid wasn't so lonely so he was fine. </p><p>Yes, clearly I am bitter about the way Hiruzen handled things 😆</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Heading in towards the end. I'm thinking one final chapter after this.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was the next day when Kakashi and Tenzo's spar ended with bloodshed. Kakashi had managed to hit Tenzo in his right shoulder with a kunai, and Iruka had to patch him up. Kakashi's eyes were on him the entire time, watching as he carefully healed the skin and helped Tenzo wash up the blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Really, Iruka should have noticed the interest. The day after the kunai incident, Tenzo managed to graze Kakashi's arm. The younger Anbu hadn't said much as Iruka patched Kakashi up. Kakashi, even though he was injured, seemed fairly happy about it all. Tenzo sat silent, arms crossed and brows furrowed as he watched. "I really thought it was going to miss." Was the only thing he said as his eyes narrowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn't notice the next day, when Kakashi managed to get hit in the stomach. Tenzo said nothing, just glaring suspiciously at his captain. Iruka hummed happily, trying not to be too excited about touching the skin on Kakashi's stomach, close to the v-cut in his abs. He ignored the tightening of muscles under his fingers, and the goosebumps that prickled across the pale skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the fourth day, Iruka finally caught on. Tenzo came into the house seething, dropping a bleeding Kakashi unceremoniously on the floor for Iruka to patch him up. This time, he had been hit in the upper leg, and had to remove his pants to be healed. It was Tenzo's obvious anger that tipped him off. The younger Anbu had his arms crossed, fingers tapping against his forearm as he glared a hole in the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited until </span>
  <em>
    <span>after </span>
  </em>
  <span>the wound was patched up to give Kakashi a violent punch in the arm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"Stop</span>
  </em>
  <span> injuring yourself! Are you going to get yourself </span>
  <em>
    <span>seriously hurt </span>
  </em>
  <span>just so Iruka will touch you?!" The brunette shouted before angrily stomping into his room. Tenzo's door slammed shut, and Iruka could swear his blush went from his ears to his toes. Kakashi had been getting injured… </span>
  <em>
    <span>on purpose?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka could feel the anger swelling inside of him, his face heating up terribly. Kakashi noticed immediately, attempting to leave the area before Iruka caught him by the collar of his shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled the stubborn jounin around, trapping him between the bathroom counter and himself. Kakashi seemed to stop breathing, watching Iruka roll his thoughts over in his mind. It didn't feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>right </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be mad at Kakashi. He loved this man… regardless of how </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span> he had decided to act. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi." Iruka spoke through gritted teeth, trying to calm himself down. "Don't ever do that again." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka moved closer into Kakashi's space, boxing the man in with his arms. Obviously, Kakashi could have escaped at any time, but the fact that he chose to endure Iruka's anger helped him calm down a bit. The chunin took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of dogs, blood, and Kakashi's weird vanilla shampoo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay." The other man answered quietly, staring down at Iruka's lips. A cheeky grin crossed his face, one that worried Iruka. "I guess I should </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell you that I know where the scroll is."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka stared at the man, his jaw dropped in shock. "You </span>
  <em>
    <span>do? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Since when?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi shrugged, settling comfortably against the counter, still in his underwear and short-sleeved shirt. "Two days."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka rolled the information around in his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Two days.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kakashi had known for </span>
  <em>
    <span>two whole days</span>
  </em>
  <span> where that scroll was. He wanted to be angry with the stubborn ass of a man. He really did… but mostly he was just disappointed. That meant… the mission was officially over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I have the scroll. I had sent it with Bull. He can't talk, and he just assumed since I never asked for it that I didn't need it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's okay, Kakashi. But we should probably go speak to Tsunade." Iruka answered softly, trying not to let the bitter disappointment show in his tone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Really, Kakashi was lucky that Tenzo waited for him to put on pants before angrily shunshining all three of them to the tower. The other man was not quite as forgiving as Iruka was, not tolerating his Captain's bullshit more than once in a day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade didn't appear to be surprised by their entry, though she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>surprised by the grumpy report from Tenzo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We have the scroll, Lady Tsunade." Tenzo spoke, his words short and clipped as he glared at Kakashi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka finally placed a hand on Tenzo's shoulder, trying to ask him to calm down without words. He stopped glaring, however reluctantly, crossing his arms and looking at the floor instead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You have the scroll already? Does that mean it was in your possession?" Tsunade asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at Kakashi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silver-haired jounin rubbed his hand behind his neck nervously. "Maa… turns out one of my ninken had it hidden in their home world." He replied as he pulled the small green scroll out of his pocket. Tsunade accepted it gracefully, and Iruka could only feel his heart sinking with worry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi liked him. That much was obvious. But that didn't mean that Kakashi didn't want to get back to his normal life. What if he wanted Iruka to move out? What if he's uncomfortable living in his family home? What if the copy ninja had realized that it was just a stupid crush, and it didn't go any deeper than that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka gave up his apartment after the first two months, not seeing a need to pay rent for four years on an apartment he wouldn't be keeping. He would have no place to go if Kakashi wanted him to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was zoned out the entire time Kakashi had talked with Tsunade about the scroll, and about the attack that had led to all of this happening. He didn't listen when Tenzo filled Kakashi in on what happened to the perpetrator, and how he had gotten home afterwards. He'd suddenly realized that he'd been away from his job and his friends for four years. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Four years.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Would they even let him have his job back at the academy? Iruka just sort of… </span>
  <em>
    <span>took off</span>
  </em>
  <span> one day. It was summer, but still. Quitting without notice was a shitty thing to do. He wondered how backed up they had been in the mission room, and how well his filing system had fared in the four years he had been gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka had dropped it all without a second thought for his own life… preoccupied with taking care of the tiny baby that might as well have been thrust into his arms. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He had dropped it all for Kakashi, who had needed him desperately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka?" Tsunade called out to him, the annoyance in her tone signaling that it wasn't the first time. Startled out of his thoughts, Iruka looked around to see both Tenzo and Kakashi giving him worried glances. "Y-yes, Lady Tsunade?" He answered, mentally cursing his stuttering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What would you like to do, now that the mission is over?" She asked, watching him with her hands interlocked on her desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka rubbed the scar on his nose nervously. "Well… I'd like to go back to teaching, but I don't know if they will take me back after leaving for so long, and so suddenly." Iruka replied solemnly. "Or maybe… the mission desk. But I don't know how the rules have changed or anything. It's been so long. I'm sure they've replaced me three times over by now." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsunade put up a hand to stop him. "Calm down, Iruka. You'll give yourself a panic attack. Go home for now. I will speak with the principal personally this afternoon. As of right now, I am declaring this mission complete. Kakashi, Tenzo, report to me in three days for your next assignment. Dismissed. All of you." </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Home</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He was supposed to go </span>
  <em>
    <span>home. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But… it wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>home, was it? Iruka did not enjoy uncertainty, and his heart was full of it at the moment. Thankfully, Tenzo transported him back to the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, warm hands circled him. It was Kakashi, who was watching him with worry in his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka couldn't help it. All of the stress and worry and anything else that had built up over the last four years finally crested. He didn't need to be strong anymore… because he simply wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed. </span>
  </em>
  <span>All this time, he had focused on being a pillar for these two, and didn't realize his own support was wearing away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka? Are you alright?" Tenzo asked from beside him, placing a hand to his forehead like the chunin had done to him so many times before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka shook himself, trying to drag himself out of whatever hole he was burying himself in. "Yeah… I just… I guess I wasn't prepared for this to be over. I sort of just… dropped </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> when Tsunade asked me to. She dropped a baby in my hands, and that was it. I didn't try to keep in touch with my friends, or maintain any sort of life outside of this mission." He answered, feeling his legs trying to give out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi must have noticed this, herding him over to the couch to sit down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was too much. Kakashi had his hands on him, and Iruka couldn't help but wonder why. Kakashi still hadn't tried to kiss him, or move forward with their relationship. He was still acting as if everything was normal. Was it? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka needed time to think.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I… I think I need to go for a walk." Iruka said suddenly. Kakashi went to stand up at the same time as him, but he held up a hand. "I'll be back soon. I promise." He said, trying to convey that he needed to go </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kakashi got the hint, and remained seated as Iruka practically ran out the front door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tenzo wasn't sure what to do anymore. Kakashi had royally pissed him off the last couple days. Even aside from the fact that his captain was using him to hurt himself… he hated the idea of him doing something like that to get Iruka to touch him. If Kakashi wanted Iruka's hands on him </span>
  <em>
    <span>so badly, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he could have just asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now, he felt kind of bad for the older man. Kakashi had been pacing in the living room since Iruka left ten minutes ago. Tenzo didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite </span>
  </em>
  <span>understand it all. It wasn't like Iruka wasn't coming back. Tenzo knew that his understanding of romantic feelings was limited, </span>
  <em>
    <span>at best</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He didn't feel the same things others did. That much was certain. He enjoyed a certain amount of affection, as he had learned in the last few years living here at the compound, but felt no sexual or romantic desires whatsoever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever it was that was causing Kakashi to run around like a mad man inside of his house must have been intense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo had finally had enough, reaching out and grabbing his captain by the shoulders. "Kakashi, what the hell is wrong with you?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The older man huffed a bit. Kakashi had never been good at expressing his feelings in words, though his time with Iruka had clearly helped with that a bit. "I'm just worried. Iruka seems really upset."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo sighed, forcing his captain towards the couch. "Senpai… Iruka will be okay. He just needs to figure a few things out." Truthfully, Tenzo wasn't sure what he should be telling the man, or if he would be overstepping any lines by interfering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But… what if he leaves?" Kakashi mumbled quietly, and Tenzo fought the urge to roll his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi." Tenzo replied sternly. "Stop freaking out. Iruka </span>
  <em>
    <span>likes you. Really </span>
  </em>
  <span>likes you. Just tell him you don't want him to leave." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi seemed a bit taken aback by Tenzo's bluntness, but the older jounin wasn't the only one who had been changed by Iruka. Tenzo had spent the last four years by his side. Iruka was the nicest person he had ever met. The chunin had managed to break down Tenzo's walls and build him back up into a mostly normal human being. He hugged Tenzo when he returned home, patched him up when he walked in bloody and broken, and listened to him when Tenzo needed it most. He had shown the emotionally stunted Anbu that it was okay to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>human. </span>
  </em>
  <span>If Tenzo could help him in any way, he would. If that included pushing his stubborn ass of a captain into the younger man's arms, he would do it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wants</span>
  </em>
  <span> to leave? Maybe he wants to live alone." Kakashi mumbled, and Tenzo couldn't help himself. He pulled the older man in for a hug. Kakashi accepted it easily enough, folding into Tenzo's chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look, Kakashi. Iruka doesn't want to leave. He wants to stay here with you. He's already asked me if I wanted to keep living together with him." Tenzo spoke softly, resting his chin in Kakashi's hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He did? How come he hasn't asked </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Kakashi asked solemnly, moving back to meet Tenzo's gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo chuckled a bit, surprising the other man. "You both are tiptoeing around each other. It's ridiculous. Iruka doesn't want to pressure you into letting him stay when you'd rather be alone. He was waiting for you to bring it up. If you don't want </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>to stay, I'd understand. I don't want to be in the way of whatever romantic relationship you will have going on." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi snorted, sitting up fully with a relieved smile on his face. He used one hand to wipe at his eyes, but placed the other on Tenzo's shoulder. "You're family to me, Tenzo. Of course I'd love for you to stay." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo was relieved. He would have left in a heartbeat if his captain had asked… but it would have been with a heavy heart. They were his family. Something Tenzo had never experienced before. The closest he had ever been to something like this was his Anbu squad… but that wasn't the same. Tenzo smiled warmly at his friend. "Tell Iruka you want him to stay. Trust me." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi nodded, and thankfully, Iruka walked in the door not long after. The stress was obvious in his face, and Tenzo hoped that Kakashi would actually take his advice for once. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka walked in to see Tenzo and Kakashi on the couch together. He hadn't actually managed to do much more than have a low-key panic attack while he was out. Kakashi was up and in front of him in no time, putting his hands on each side of Iruka's waist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maa… Ruka, will you move in with me? Into an apartment?" Kakashi asked suddenly, his bare face lighting up in a bright blush. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To say Iruka was caught off guard was an understatement. He sat there, dumbfounded for a minute, until Kakashi shifted awkwardly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A-are you sure that's what you want?" Iruka asked carefully, trying not to get his hopes up too high. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi subconsciously reached for his mask, and upon realizing he didn't have it on, shifted his visible eye nervously to the side. "Well uh… you see… I have… </span>
  <em>
    <span>feelings </span>
  </em>
  <span>for you. Romantic ones. I don't want to lose you just because your mission is over. Tenzo can come too." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka smiled, watching the older man struggle to get the words out. It was adorable. Iruka couldn't help himself anymore, cutting the man off from saying any more by diving in for a kiss. He pressed his lips to Kakashi's, and he responded in kind. It was short, but Iruka could feel Kakashi's love pressed into it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he pulled back, the jounin had a big dopey smile on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So… an </span>
  <em>
    <span>apartment</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Iruka asked with a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi nodded, taking Iruka's hands. "I'd like us to have a room that </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn't </span>
  </em>
  <span>my childhood room, and I'm not ready to move into the master."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka didn't comment on the fact that Kakashi had just admitted they would still be sharing a room. His heart thrummed happily in his chest. "That sounds reasonable. We could get a place closer to everything, anyway. We're kind of a bit far out here." Iruka responded, leaning forward slowly to place a kiss to Kakashi's forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment was interrupted when Tenzo's stomach growled loudly from the couch. Both Iruka and Kakashi chuckled. "Let's celebrate with some lunch, shall we?" Kakashi asked, watching Iruka with a fond smile. "Perhaps some barbeque?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lunch was better than Iruka had imagined. Not only was Kakashi sitting close enough to him that their legs were pressed together, but Tenzo had been in a much better mood since Kakashi and Iruka had gotten their stuff sorted out. He was smiling, chatting away with them happily while the meat sizzled over the pits. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were talking about apartment options when Izumo and Kotetsu walked up. Iruka hadn't seen the duo in nearly three years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka!" Izumo crowed happily. "I haven't seen you in </span>
  <em>
    <span>ages!"</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah! Where the heck have you been?" Kotetsu asked, a suspicious lilt in his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stared the chunin down, who suddenly wasn't sure what the hell he was going to tell people. They finally noticed Kakashi practically settled in his lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi." Izumo said curtly. "I didn't see you there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We haven't seen </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>around in a long time." Kotetsu commented. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka knew that the two were well aware of who was coming and going from the village. They knew that Iruka and Kakashi hadn't been taking missions. It was clear from their tone that they weren't exactly fond of the older jounin. But they didn't know the </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kakashi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maa… I was down for quite a while with a spinal injury. Iruka-Sensei was the lucky guy assigned to take care of me." Kakashi drawled easily, smiling through the mask. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Izumo and Kotetsu didn't seem satisfied by the answer, and invited themselves to sit down. Tenzo didn't seem too thrilled with the intrusion, scooting away from them, sliding silently around the corner to sit by Kakashi. Izumo watched him move, curious about the stranger that Iruka was eating with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo would never back down if someone tried speaking to him, but as long as the chunin duo were content with ignoring him, he would silently continue cooking their food. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Spinal injury?" Kotetsu asked, eyes narrowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How come </span>
  <em>
    <span>Iruka </span>
  </em>
  <span>had to help you? You couldn't find someone else?" Izumo asked grumpily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How long were you taking care of him? He </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>needed your help for </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>long?" Kotetsu asked quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were his friends… but the sheer amount of questions was overwhelming. Iruka stumbled out a response. "Well… Tsunade asked me to." He managed to answer quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was down for almost four years." Kakashi answered simply. "The Hokage didn't want it getting around, and she couldn't afford to pull away any active ninja for so long." He seemed indifferent to their questioning. The older man moved his hand under the table, threading their fingers together to try to reassure him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their eyes widened at the admission of the time frame, and they shared a look. "So… your mission is over now?" Izumo asked slowly. Iruka knew what he was hinting at. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If the mission is over, you don't have to spend time with him anymore.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka looked down at the table. This was all so… unexpected. But really… </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>should he feel ashamed? He </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kakashi, with all of his heart, and that would never change just because his friends weren't going to be supportive. Iruka turned his head to smile at Kakashi, who smiled back easily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes. My mission is over. I should be going back to the academy soon." Iruka answered happily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Izumo and Kotetsu seemed relieved by the answer, but Iruka wasn't done. He pulled slightly on the pale hand that was interlocked with his, giving Kakashi a chance to let go if he wasn't comfortable. Instead, Kakashi's fingers tightened, so Iruka pulled their hands out and placed them on the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence was deafening. Izumo and Kotetsu stared down at their joined hands, while Tenzo looked over the entire situation with amusement obvious in his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's thumb started to rub soothing circles over Iruka's, and the chunin felt a wave of calm wash over him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh. When… how long has um…" Izumo struggled to string his words together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We just made it official today." Kakashi answered with a smile, leaning over to bump Iruka's shoulder affectionately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka couldn't help it. He beamed up at the older man, feeling his face heat up in a blush. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that comment, Iruka's friends got their shit together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well… you seem really happy." Kotetsu said, finally smiling again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am." Iruka said happily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So… who's your friend?" Izumo asked, gesturing to Tenzo, who blushed sheepishly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is my brother, Tenzo." Kakashi spoke softly, patting Tenzo's shoulder for reassurance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your… </span>
  <em>
    <span>brother?</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Kotetsu asked, one eyebrow raised. Obviously, everyone knew that Kakashi was the last of his clan. That was old news. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi simply chuckled. "Not all families share blood."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other two smiled, offering their hands to Tenzo, who shook them warily. Iruka made a mental note to introduce the reclusive man to more people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Iruka's friends had left, Kakashi threw up a privacy barrier and ripped his mask down. He swept Iruka into a passionate kiss, both pale hands up in his long brown hair. Iruka melted, sighing softly as Kakashi pulled away with a smile. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to tell everyone." Kakashi spoke softly, a bit of relief in his tone as he turned back to the table. "I'm glad you don't want to keep it a secret." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo beamed at them, happily shoving bits of steak in his mouth while Iruka blushed profusely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course." Iruka answered, fiddling with his chopsticks bashfully. "I don't think I could hide my love for you if I tried."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi simply watched him for a minute, shock written clearly on his face. Tenzo had also stopped eating, and Iruka finally realized what he had said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Love</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh… Kakashi, I didn't mean-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you too, you know." Kakashi said quietly, turning away sheepishly and picking at the meat with his chopsticks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they got back from lunch, Tenzo had happily announced that he was going for a walk. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>long </span>
  </em>
  <span>walk, and he made sure to announce as much. When the door shut, Iruka barely had time to roll his eyes before Kakashi was pressed up against him. The older man's lips found his quickly, his skillful hands roaming up Iruka's back. The chunin couldn't help but lean in, kissing Kakashi with everything he had, groaning into the kiss when Kakashi's hips slotted up against his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have you ever… with a man?" Kakashi asked vaguely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka nodded quickly. He had definitely had sex with a man before… though he had experimented with toys plenty of times aside from that. "Once. Have you?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. One person for me too." Kakashi answered breathlessly. "Who was it?" The older man asked, a little bit curious and a little bit possessive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka huffed a laugh, trying not to squirm as Kakashi's hands roamed under his shirt, smoothing over bare skin and leaving trails of goosebumps. "One of the teachers at the school. Hotari Shiranui. And you?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi chuckled a bit, his right hand running up his chest so his fingers could close over a dusky nipple. Iruka gasped, the motion sending strong sparks of heat through his system. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally noticed that Kakashi was blushing. "Who was it? You can tell me." Iruka asked with a small laugh, wondering just who the famous copy ninja had sex with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tenzo." Kakashi admitted sheepishly. Iruka was definitely surprised by the answer. Tenzo had </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>known that he wasn't interested in sex. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi laughed at his clear confusion. "We were young." He whispered next to Iruka's ear. The chunin shuddered, the warm breath tickling him. "Tenzo was still trying to figure things out. He thought that maybe doing things together would… </span>
  <em>
    <span>jump start</span>
  </em>
  <span> his system." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Obviously it didn't work." Iruka said with a laugh. "Which way did you try?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi chuckled, his voice low as he nuzzled into the tanned skin of Iruka's neck. "We tried both. Needless to say he didn't care for it." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Kakashi nibbled on his neck, Iruka was done talking. He had other things on his mind. The chunin rutted up against Kakashi, pressing in deeply in an attempt to get some sort of friction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was rewarded for his efforts when Kakashi groaned softly, pausing his ministrations on Iruka's neck. Iruka smirked, repeating the motion. Kakashi </span>
  <em>
    <span>growled,</span>
  </em>
  <span> a feral sounding noise rising from his throat as Iruka suddenly felt his world spinning in a shunshin. They were next to the bed in the bedroom they had shared for the last four years. Kakashi pushed him down onto it, crawling over him easily and kissing him down into the mattress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's passion and enthusiasm were somewhat unexpected, and the pleasant surprise had him already achingly hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka felt a strange lump under his back, and reached behind him and immediately started laughing. Kakashi tilted his head, looking down at him with a confused smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" He asked quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka grabbed the object behind him and pulled it out. It was the stuffed dolphin. "The legendary copy ninja is kissing me on a bed with shuriken sheets and a stuffed dolphin." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi chuckled. "Hey, don't make fun of my dolphin." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka leaned over to set the dolphin on the floor. He never really thought about the fact that Kakashi still kept it on the bed, even as he had aged up into a man. He snorted loudly when Kakashi reached down and turned the toy so that it was facing away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're ridiculous." Iruka said with a smile as Kakashi settled back over him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He doesn't need to see all of the filthy things I'm going to do to you." Kakashi murmured, slotting his mouth into Iruka's roughly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that, Iruka was lost to the wonderful warmth that was filling his bones. Kakashi was licking and kissing every bit of skin he could find, slowly undressing the chunin, all while continuing to rut against him. It was so much all at once. Kakashi was an excellent multi-tasker, kissing Iruka until he was dizzy, and then suddenly he was naked. The jounin looked him over appreciatively. Iruka had been training so much lately with Tenzo and Kakashi that he was in the best shape of his life. Kakashi ran his pale fingers over ab muscles that hadn't been there since he became a teacher, humming happily once his hands reached Iruka's weeping erection. Iruka gasped loudly, lifting his hips a little to move more into the touch. Iruka hadn't really realized how long it had been. Even before the last four years at the Hatake residence… he wasn't exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>seeing people. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's eyebrows lifted at his reactive body. "It's been a while for you, hasn't it?" He asked, his voice low and husky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka flushed red. "It's been a long time for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>too, you know." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi chuckled darkly, leaning over Iruka. "Yes… but it doesn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>like it's been that long." He answered, trailing one finger up and down the side of Iruka's erection. A small whimper escaped his lips, and Kakashi paused. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Holy hell maybe it </span>
  </em>
  <span>has </span>
  <em>
    <span>been too long. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe for this first time, I won't tease you." Kakashi mumbled, reaching down beside the bed for something. He grinned triumphantly, pulling up a bottle of lube from some unknown location beside the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You had </span>
  <em>
    <span>lube </span>
  </em>
  <span>stashed in here?" Iruka said in amazement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi laughed. "I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> a teenager. Give me a break. Do you know how hard it is not to get random erections all day long when you are waltzing around half naked?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka laughed, but it was quickly turned into a moan when Kakashi grabbed his cock and gave it a long stroke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Would you like me to fuck you?" Kakashi whispered in his ear, moving in a way that his lips were just barely touching the skin on his neck. Iruka shivered, only a pathetic whine coming out of his lips in answer. It had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>so fucking long. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi took pity on him, sitting back to pop the cap on the lube to coat his fingers. The man moved faster than lightning. Iruka had always known that he was built for speed, but he was jealous of the nimble movements that Kakashi was able to make. He didn't worry about that for long though, because a wet finger was suddenly teasing the entrance to his ass. His breath left him in another gasp as the finger stopped teasing and pressed in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi paused, his head tilted sideways, and Iruka realized the wards were flashing on the compound. Iruka couldn't tell who it was, but he had a feeling Kakashi could. The other man removed his finger, though not without receiving another whine from Iruka, and sat back on his legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a few seconds, but there was a soft knock on the door. "Senpai. We have an urgent mission. We need to leave immediately."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright. I'll be out in just a minute." Kakashi said with a sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka couldn't contain his frustrated groan. Kakashi sent an apologetic look to him, but moved quickly away from the bed. Iruka understood. He really did. It must be an absolute emergency if she was calling Kakashi out on a mission right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat up, taking a deep breath before leaving the bed to put his clothes back on. He needed to hurry if he wanted to say goodbye to Tenzo as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka only managed to be done at the same time as Kakashi because the other man had to strap on his armor. They walked into the living room together, where Tenzo was waiting in his Anbu gear. "Sorry about this, Iruka." Tenzo said quietly. Even with the mask on, he was sure the other man was blushing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's alright Tenzo." Iruka said with a smile, moving forward and pulling him in for a hug. "Just be safe." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We will." Tenzo said with a confident nod, and Iruka turned back to Kakashi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His new lover walked up into his arms on his own, moving his mask to the side so he could give Iruka a kiss. "Sorry, Ruka. We can pick up where we left off when I get back." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka leaned in, placing his mouth right by Kakashi's ear. "When you get home, you better be ready… because I'm going to fuck your brains out." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's face was bright red as he replaced his mask, much to Iruka's delight. As the two men quickly flashed away, Iruka could only hope it wasn't a long mission. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now alone in the house, Iruka groaned. He was beyond frustrated now. He stalked down the hall in a huff, ready to get some use out of Kakashi's stash of lube. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ha! Poor Iruka needs some loving. Hope you enjoyed it. <br/>Next chapter, we finally see Iruka get some action, and then some fluff to end it all. </p><p>Please let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well... this is it. I didn't have much to conclude in this chapter, so it isn't quite as long as the others. I didn't feel that there was much left to say other than what I've put in here. Thanks to all of you who have left wonderful reviews and those who have simply tagged along for the ride! I hope this ending is good enough... let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Iruka hung his head as he sat in the dark bar. Kakashi and Tenzo had only been gone for five hours. He had gone to see Tsunade, who not only wouldn't tell him a time estimate for their mission, but also informed him that since they were so far into the school year, he needed to wait until the next one to start teaching again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She told him he could work the mission desk in the meantime. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yay. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Currently, Iruka found himself drowning in loneliness. This was the longest he had been alone in </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span>… not to mention that his time alone with Kakashi's lube had only served to take the edge off of the horniness he was feeling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine </span>
  </em>
  <span>before. For four years he hadn't thought about sex. Now, all he could think about was Kakashi's wonderful body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're </span>
  <em>
    <span>far </span>
  </em>
  <span>too good looking to be picking up randoms, Iruka." Anko said with a smile. "You </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>I'm always available to </span>
  <em>
    <span>assist." </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka tried his best not to frown at that statement. They had been decent friends before, but Anko was always hitting on him. He wasn't interested. Frankly, he was afraid of her. The woman was terrifying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not here to pick anyone up." Iruka answered quietly. "I actually have a boyfriend now." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka had said the words, but honestly he wasn't sure if Kakashi was </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>his boyfriend or not. They hadn't really discussed any sort of label. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We just made it official today. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That's what Kakashi had told Izumo and Kotetsu at the barbeque joint. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Boyfriend </span>
  </em>
  <span>sounded official. He would have to ask Kakashi when he returned home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So the rumors are </span>
  <em>
    <span>true?</span>
  </em>
  <span> I can't believe my ears! My sweet Ruka is in a relationship with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>boy!</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Anko spoke loudly, dramatically throwing her arm over her face. Iruka tried not to cringe at the use of Kakashi's nickname. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't call me that." He mumbled, hoping Anko hadn't just told the </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire </span>
  </em>
  <span>village. He didn't want anyone else using that nickname. The only person he would ever allow to call him that besides Kakashi would be Tenzo. That would never happen. He was probably lucky that Tenzo didn't call him "Mr. Umino". </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anko didn't seem to notice the bitterness in his words. "So tell me, who's the lucky guy? Anyone I know?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was a bit surprised that she hadn't already heard. "It's Kakashi." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi as in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi Hatake?</span>
  </em>
  <span>" She asked, disbelief clear in her tone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>another Kakashi?" Iruka snapped back at her. It was always like this when a jounin started dating someone lower on the food chain. Their fellow jounin were always judgemental, but the chunin were always supportive. It drove Iruka nuts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No… he just… doesn't seem like your type." Anko said with a frown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You mean because he's a jounin?" Iruka asked with narrowed eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well… kinda. I mean… I've never seen you date someone ranked higher than you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>it's a </span>
  <em>
    <span>man</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>it's the biggest pain in the ass man around the village." Anko said with a raised eyebrow, accepting a drink from the bartender. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka huffed. So many people around the village thought that rank was </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"First of all, it doesn't matter to me what rank he is. Second, why does it matter that he's a man? He won't be the </span>
  <em>
    <span>first </span>
  </em>
  <span>man I've slept with." Iruka rambled, tilting his glass back afterwards to chug the last of his drink. "And </span>
  <em>
    <span>for the record</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kakashi </span>
  <em>
    <span>can </span>
  </em>
  <span>be a pain, but he's also sweet, and cares about things more than anyone realizes." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka stood up and walked out before Anko could say another word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka stalked back home angrily, entering the compound only to remember how terribly empty it was. He had never felt like an intruder here, but now that he was alone… he felt like he didn't belong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka's mission hadn't even been finished for an entire day. In that short time, he had gained a new boyfriend. He had answers about his future. He knew what he was going to be doing, and when. The only difference that was driving him crazy right now, was that Kakashi was gone. The older man and Tenzo were out doing who knows what. Iruka hoped that he wouldn't feel so terrible when the missions weren't presented as an emergency. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka laid down in bed. It was so cold in the bed without Kakashi's warmth. If it wasn't for the alcohol, he might not have been able to sleep at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would never admit it to anyone, but Iruka fell asleep curled up around Kakashi's dolphin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The days were long and boring. It had been two days since Tenzo and Kakashi left. Iruka had been irritable the entire time, especially during his return to the mission desk. He didn't bother hanging around the empty house all day. After living with Tenzo for so long, he knew that Anbu liked to return to the village at nightfall. So instead, Iruka spent his time going around and looking at apartments. Iruka finally made it home around dusk, making himself a quick dinner and going to bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was just barely 10 PM when Iruka woke up. Something had caused him to wake, and he wasn't sure what it was. The chunin remained still, listening carefully until finally the doorknob to the bedroom turned. Iruka's heart started beating faster immediately, and he jumped out of bed to greet Kakashi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi stepped into the room, his face flushed and sweaty, his clothes a bit worse for wear, and his hair in disarray. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you injured?" Iruka asked, looking the man over carefully as Kakashi stepped into his open arms. Instead of answering, Kakashi slotted their mouths together, kissing Iruka heavily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though Iruka just wanted to be wrapped up in the other man, he still had another question. He pulled back, smiling hopefully at his boyfriend. "Is Tenzo okay?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi nodded. "He's giving the report to Tsunade." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka noticed that Kakashi was breathing heavily, seemingly worked up just from the light kissing. His brows furrowed, but Kakashi didn't give him much time to talk. He claimed Iruka's mouth again, and snaked one of his hands down to rub over Iruka's slowly growing erection. He gasped into the kiss, dropping his hands down to grope Kakashi's ass. The other man whimpered into his mouth… right when Iruka felt the end of what he assumed was a buttplug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You've got to be shitting me." Iruka mumbled in disbelief, looking down at his flustered boyfriend in shock. "How long have you had this in?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi took a moment before he answered. "Four or five hours. I put it in the last time we stopped to eat some food pills." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Kakashi's appearance made sense. His sweaty red skin was a direct result of being so insanely worked up. Maybe running through the trees for five hours with something probably rubbing on his prostate wasn't a good idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can we take it out now?" Kakashi whined, his voice ragged as he fought to keep control of himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought of Kakashi preparing himself out in the forest somewhere was enough to send all of Iruka's blood rushing south. They undressed each other quickly, with Iruka's hands returning to Kakashi's ass like they were magnetic. He wondered where the hell Kakashi had managed to get the damn thing, but decided his boyfriend had waited long enough, and kept his questions to himself. Once they were fully naked, Kakashi pushed Iruka backwards towards the bed. Iruka dropped back gracefully, pulling Kakashi along with him as he settled back on the bed. Pale legs framed his, Iruka's erection dragging over Kakashi's skin as he settled above him. One more small whine from Kakashi, and Iruka reached back to take out the black silicone plug. Kakashi shuddered above him, letting out a forced breath when he was finally free of the plug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka pulled the other man down for a kiss, relishing in the desperate quality that Kakashi added to it. The man's tongue searched his mouth, tasting everything quickly. Iruka felt the bottle of lube being pressed into his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How the hell did he even </span>
  </em>
  <span>grab </span>
  <em>
    <span>that?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka fumbled with the bottle, refusing to miss a single second of the kiss Kakashi was offering. Eventually, he got the damn thing open, and barely managed to lube himself up before Kakashi was sinking down onto him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The older man groaned loudly, his relief palpable in the air as the teasing was finally over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was speechless. Kakashi was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>tight</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and warm in a way he couldn't describe. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Finally."</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kakashi murmured brokenly, before starting to raise himself off of Iruka a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The chunin moved his hands up to Kakashi's pale hips, guiding him back down so that all of the work wasn't put on Kakashi's legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the initial movement, Kakashi moaned loudly, and started moving faster. Iruka couldn't hold back knowing that Kakashi desperately needed the release, and met each thrust with one of his own. Kakashi mewled on top of him, sounding animalistic as his fingers gripped Iruka's sides tightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka took control, holding Kakashi up a few inches and pounding into him relentlessly. He moaned as Kakashi's fingers started to dig into his skin, watching intently as the other man came undone above him. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kakashi was a beautiful man. Iruka could tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>that much </span>
  </em>
  <span>before. But now, watching him cry out in pleasure while his entire upper body was flushed red, and sweat dripped down his face… it was almost too much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi let go with one hand, reaching down to grip his erection. Precome was dripping out of it steadily, and it only took a few pumps for Kakashi to come harder than anyone Iruka had ever seen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's body tensed up, squeezing Iruka for all he was worth, and Iruka couldn't help but orgasm when Kakashi looked like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and clenched up around him like a vice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka's release put his senses into overdrive. His body wanted to relax… to sink down into the mattress and go to sleep. But at the same time, Iruka could tell that Kakashi was completely out of it at the moment, and was barely holding himself up. Sure enough, the older man dropped suddenly, with Iruka barely able to catch him in time before he crashed down onto the chunin's chest. He rolled, dropping Kakashi down to the mattress as softly as he could, and pulled out. Kakashi's eyes were open, but just barely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a couple minutes, pale fingers reached out to cup Iruka's cheek, and he leaned into the touch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you." Kakashi whispered softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka smiled at his boyfriend, placing a hand over the one that Kakashi had on his cheek. "I love you too, Kakashi." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi's mismatched eyes were slowly shutting. "Ruka? Can you check on Tenzo? It really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a difficult mission." The man mumbled, right before his eyes finally shut all the way. Iruka didn't bother answering… he knew Kakashi was long past the point of hearing it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka basked in his post-orgasm glow, holding Kakashi carefully. Eventually, he knew he needed to get up and clean up their mess. Kakashi must have really been wiped out, because he didn't move an inch while Iruka moved around, cleaning himself, the bed, and his boyfriend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka was almost mad that Kakashi hadn't taken care of himself. Clearly, the man had been exhausted. In the end, when he sat there watching Kakashi curled up in the blankets, he knew he couldn't actually be mad at him. The chunin sighed to himself and went to check on Tenzo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka wandered out into the front room, spotting the Anbu passed out on the couch. He had apparently made it that far </span>
  <em>
    <span>just barely</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He still was strapped into his armor, and only had managed to get one sandal off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka huffed a silent laugh, walking over to crouch in front of the sleeping Anbu. He wouldn't touch him. Not while he was asleep. If Tenzo </span>
  <em>
    <span>hadn't </span>
  </em>
  <span>just come home from a mission, he wouldn't worry about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't matter, anyway. Tenzo's eyes just barely cracked open once Iruka was on the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, sleepyhead." Iruka said with a soft smile, reaching out to touch Tenzo's shoulder. "Why don't we get you to bed?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo groaned, stretching a bit before sitting up obediently. Iruka leaned forward and unhooked his other sandal, tossing it over to join the other one by the front door. Iruka offered a hand, and Tenzo accepted it readily, not fighting it after he stood up and Iruka threaded their fingers together instead of letting go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The chunin led the exhausted Anbu down the hall and into his room. Tenzo didn't fight it when Iruka started to help him with his armor either, showing a large amount of trust in him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you hurt at all?" Iruka asked, unhooking the straps on his chest plate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo shook his head, barely managing to lift his arms to help as he stood on shaky legs. "Just tired. And I used a lot of chakra." He whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they finally managed to get all of his armor off, Iruka helped him strip down to his boxers and get under the covers. Tenzo gave him a small smile, so Iruka leaned in to plant a light kiss on his forehead. "I'm glad you both made it back safely." He whispered to the man whose eyes were closing again. "Get some sleep, Tenzo." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Iruka finally made it back to his own bed, Kakashi was still dead asleep. If </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tenzo</span>
  </em>
  <span> had managed to use up so much chakra, Kakashi probably wasn't too far behind. Iruka climbed under the covers, snuggling up to his boyfriend's back and throwing an arm over his waist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning, Iruka woke up to find Tenzo already up and making coffee. Even though Iruka knew that the Anbu healed unnaturally quick thanks to his jutsu, he was still worried. Seeing him up and about so quickly still made his chest tighten. "Tenzo, how are you feeling?" Iruka asked with a soft smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo shot him a look that said he knew Iruka was far too worried about him. "I'm fine, Iruka. Thank you." Tenzo took a drink of his coffee, and leaned forward against the counter. "How's Kakashi?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka couldn't stop the smile that took over his face. "Still asleep." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo snorted a laugh, trying to cover it unsuccessfully with his hand. "I don't even want to know." He said as he stood up straight and padded towards the younger man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka blushed brightly, embarrassed a bit that Tenzo already had guessed what they had done last night. Tenzo wrapped him up in a surprising hug, keeping a careful hold on his cup of coffee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm happy for you. Both of you." Tenzo said with a smile, releasing Iruka but keeping a hand in his shoulder. "Kakashi </span>
  <em>
    <span>needs </span>
  </em>
  <span>someone like you around."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo looked away shyly, whispering the end of the thought. "I guess maybe </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>do too." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka watched with a fond smile as Tenzo walked down the hallway to his room. He paused one last time before entering his bedroom. "If Kakashi doesn't wake up before noon, he's pushed himself too far and will need to be treated at the hospital." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka nodded, thanking Tenzo before returning to his own room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi was awake, but barely. Iruka breathed a silent sigh of relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good morning." Kakashi mumbled, stretching his legs out past the edge of the bed. "Did I just hear Tenzo threatening to send me to the hospital?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka chuckled. "A little. But only if you didn't wake up before noon." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmm. And now that I'm awake? What are the plans for today?" Kakashi asked, pulling Iruka onto the bed with strong arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The chunin leaned down and kissed him, pressing into the other man to show his love. He pulled away, a bit breathless. "I think I found an apartment that would work for us. I was hoping we could go look at it today." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi smiled. "That sounds wonderful."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tenzo walked through the empty apartment, following Kakashi around while Iruka talked to the owner about the specifics. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a nice apartment… but Tenzo was still having his doubts. "Senpai… are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>you want me to move in with you guys?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it would be too awkward. Tenzo had slept with Kakashi before, after all, and the two of them were exploring a new relationship. Maybe having a third wheel tagging along wasn't the best plan. Sure, Tenzo </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to stay. He enjoyed being around them. It was almost like he had a weird little relationship thing going on with them as well. He received hugs and small kisses and laid on Iruka's side on the couch… it was as much as he would ever want in a relationship. Anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>after</span>
  </em>
  <span> that, he didn't care for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The problem was, they had never </span>
  <em>
    <span>talked </span>
  </em>
  <span>about it. Kakashi had never brought up the fact that his boyfriend was constantly hugging Tenzo, or that Iruka often planted a kiss on his forehead, or that Iruka always made sure that Tenzo was taking care of himself. Kakashi himself had always been close to Tenzo… always within an arm's reach. But the older man never kissed him. He didn't walk up and hug Tenzo around the waist, or touch his shoulder softly as he walked by. Iruka sometimes touched Tenzo in the same ways that he touched Kakashi, and it was weighing his mind down heavily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>that they had never talked about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why wouldn't I want you to stay with us?" Kakashi asked, his tone light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo blushed, suddenly unsure of what he actually wanted to say to his captain. "Well… I don't want to be in the way. You guys are dating now, and you're gonna want some time by yourselves."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi held up a hand to stop him, his visible eye betraying the frown beneath the mask. "Tenzo… you could never be in the way. I find it hard to believe that you haven't noticed that you have a part in this relationship too." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo's jaw dropped. "I… I don't understand." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi sighed, taking a step closer and grabbing Tenzo's hand loosely. "I don't really know how to say it." Kakashi mumbled, looking down towards their hands. "I… I know that you feel a connection to Iruka and me. I've known for a while. It doesn't bother me, is what I'm trying to say, I guess. I know you don't want the same things that anyone else would want in a relationship, Tenzo." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The younger man held his breath, listening as Kakashi </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>acknowledged the things that had been causing Tenzo a tremendous amount of guilt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi took a deep breath, and met Tenzo's gaze. "You're my friend. One of the oldest ones I have, actually. I don't mind filling whatever gaps are left behind by your lack of a relationship. I know Iruka doesn't either. We love you, Tenzo." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo didn't know what to say. His eyes watered the smallest amount, but he was able to quickly force it away. Kakashi had noticed still, and gave a small squeeze of his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warm hands wrapped around his stomach from the back, and the Anbu jumped a bit, shocked that Iruka had managed to sneak up on him. All of the training he had done with Kakashi was starting to pay off. His presence, along with the weird hug, meant that Iruka had been listening, and was confirming Kakashi's words. Tenzo chuckled, patting Iruka's arms with his free hand. "I love you too." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka finished up the last of the forms for their new apartment. Once they had decided that this one was perfect, he had sent the two Anbu home to rest some more. Despite their protests, Iruka could tell they both were really exhausted still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His point was proven when he walked into the main house on the compound, only to find Kakashi and Tenzo both asleep on the couch. The first Icha-Icha movie was playing in the background, and Iruka huffed a silent laugh. Kakashi's head was resting on the arm of the couch, and Tenzo was hunched over, his head tucked into Kakashi's side. They were adorable, and Iruka couldn't help but stare a little bit before moving to make them some lunch. He would wait to wake them until the food was ready. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iruka sat silently on the couch in their new apartment. They had been living here for </span>
  <em>
    <span>one day </span>
  </em>
  <span>before Tenzo and Kakashi had been called away on a week-long mission. He had unpacked everything while they had been gone, trying not to worry. Now, Tenzo was asleep with his head in his lap, and Iruka's fingers carefully carded through the short brown hair. Tenzo had been immediately hospitalized on their return for some sort of poisoning he had received in Kiri. He was home again, but was still feeling some of the effects of the poison. The man had been sleeping in Iruka's lap for a good hour now, and Kakashi was in the kitchen preparing him some soup. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since the talk the two had shared in the empty apartment, Iruka had noticed Kakashi being more affectionate towards Tenzo. It was nice, and he could tell that it had been exactly what Tenzo had needed. The poor man was just so lonely, and Iruka could understand why he wouldn't want to bother looking for a relationship. It wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>impossible </span>
  </em>
  <span>for him to find someone else that didn't want to have sex… but it would likely take a long time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi popped up around the corner, leaning down to capture Iruka's lips with his own. They explored each other's mouths for a moment before Kakashi pulled away again. The older man knelt down in front of the sleepy Anbu, placing a soft hand on Tenzo's shoulder. "Hey." He spoke quietly, squeezing the shoulder gently. Once Tenzo cracked his brown eyes open, Kakashi smiled at him. "I made you some soup, but you'll need to sit up, okay?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tenzo grumbled, but sat up anyway. Iruka stood up, stretching on stiff legs, and popped in another movie for them to watch. Tenzo loved the Princess Gale movies, so Iruka put in one of those. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later, when Kakashi plopped down into his lap, and Tenzo leaned up against his side, Iruka knew this was exactly where he was always meant to be.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think! Comments make my day and inspire me to keep writing!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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